Don't trust verbal assurances from Centre: J&K CM Omar Abdullah to Ladakh leadership

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday advised the leadership of Ladakh not to rely on verbal assurances from the Centre regarding their demand for constitutional safeguards for land and jobs, saying his government had itself been a victim of such commitments.

“Ladakh has its own issues, our issues are separate. However, as a friend and a well-wisher, I can only advise the leadership of Ladakh not to rely on any verbal assurances from the central government unless they provide those in writing and officially signed,” Abdullah told reporters in Pulwama district.

He was in the south Kashmir district to review development projects.

Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir had also received a verbal assurance that statehood would be restored soon after the Assembly elections, but the promise had not materialised.

“We ourselves have been victims of this. We too were given verbal assurances that statehood would be restored immediately after the (Assembly) election. Almost two years have passed since and that promise has not materialised,” he said.

“Therefore, with folded hands, my humble request to the leaders of Ladakh and Kargil is not to trust verbal commitments from the Centre until they receive something in writing, perhaps in the form of a formal affidavit,” he added.

On development in Pulwama, Abdullah said the district was likely to rank among the top five of Jammu and Kashmir's 20 districts in terms of implementation of projects and utilisation of allocated funds.

He credited the deputy commissioner and his team with a good performance and asked them to accelerate spending during the remaining two to three months of the current working season.

“If, after that, reallocation is required, once their entire budget is utilised, I can arrange for additional funds from other avenues,” he said.

Abdullah said development work was progressing across all constituencies in the district.

Projects worth around Rs 100 crore were inaugurated or had their foundation stones laid on Wednesday, he said. These included roads, schools, hospital works, bridges and a dairy-processing village.

“In almost every sector in Pulwama, visible progress is evident on the ground,” Abdullah said.

On the strike by National Health Mission employees, Abdullah said protesting was a democratic right but his government would hold talks on their demands only after the agitation was called off.

“My earnest request to them would be to kindly choose the path of dialogue because, ultimately, a solution will emerge only through discussion. We cannot hold talks while protests are ongoing,” he said.

He said negotiating under the pressure of an agitation could set a precedent for others to take to the streets to press their demands.

Abdullah also declined to respond to Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma's remarks on the short duration of the Assembly.

“I will only respond to one statement per month from the leader of opposition. He makes statements daily and I do not have enough free time to reply to him on an everyday basis. I responded to one yesterday, the next response will come in October,” he said.