Pahalgam attack has not halted talks on J&K statehood: Omar Abdullah
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Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday clarified that the April 22 Pahalgam attack has not disrupted discussions regarding the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
He emphasised that the issue was raised at the recent NITI Aayog governing council meeting.
"No, not at all. If you were to take out the formal speech that circulated in the NITI Aayog meeting, you will find a categorical mention for return of statehood in that ... which was given to the Honourable Prime Minister and all the members of the governing council of the NITI Aayog," Abdullah told reporters in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in north Kashmir, located 52 kilometers from Srinagar.
Answering a question on whether the Pahalgam terror attack had impacted the statehood restoration talks, Abdullah said, "So, the conversation around statehood has not stalled. The only thing I was unwilling to do was to use the special session of the (Jammu and Kashmir) Assembly to talk about statehood. But that does not mean the conversation has stopped. The conversation is ongoing."