Omar Accuses Centre Of Betraying Ladakh, J & K Over Statehood Delay

New Delhi- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday accused the Centre of betraying both Ladakh and J-K by failing to fulfil its promises and deepening mistrust through delays in restoring statehood.

Speaking at the launch of senior journalist and author Harinder Baweja's latest book,“They Will Shoot You, Madam: My life through conflict”, Abdullah said the government had failed to follow through on its own roadmap, first for Jammu and Kashmir and now for Ladakh, alleging that the latter was misled with“impossible” assurances.

“When you wanted them (Ladakh) to participate in Hill Council elections, you promised them the Sixth Schedule. Everyone knew that giving the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh was nearly impossible. A region that shares frontiers with China on one side and Pakistan on the other requires a sizeable defence presence, which the Sixth Schedule makes impossible. Yet, you made promises to get electoral participation,” he explained.

The 55-year-old also criticised the sudden shift in the stance towards Ladakhi leaders, especially climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.

“A gentleman who, until yesterday, was praising the prime minister as an environmental warrior and thanking him profusely for 2019 for fulfilling the dreams of Ladakhis by giving UT status... nobody found fault with him then. Today, suddenly, we find a Pakistani connection. Two days ago, there was none. Where did it come from?” he asked.

The protests in support of the demand for statehood and inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution took a violent turn on September 24, leaving four people dead and many injured.

Following the incident, Wangchuk, who has been among those leading the protest, was detained under the National Security Act (NSA).

On Jammu and Kashmir's demand for restoring statehood, Abdullah accused the central government of failing to honour its own commitments.

“You told us it was a three-stage process - first delimitation, then elections, and finally statehood. The first two have been completed, but the third has gone nowhere. And then you wonder why there is a trust deficit,” he said.

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