Appropriate time has come, hopeful statehood will be restored: Omar

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood would be restored very soon, and that “appropriate time had come.”

His remarks come days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the statehood would be restored at an “appropriate time” even as he didn’t provide a specific timeline. “We believe the appropriate time has come. It has been six months since the Assembly elections were held,” Omar told reporters in South Kashmir’s Pulwama on the sidelines of an event.

Omar mentioned that he had a separate meeting with the Home Minister during his recent visit to J&K. “It was a good meeting. I am still hopeful that J&K will regain its statehood very soon,” he said.

Addressing a public gathering at the event earlier, Omar said his government would implement a law to ensure that jobs in J&K were reserved for local residents.

“Shouldn’t we have the right to decide how many locals should be employed in a factory in J&K?” he asked, citing Himachal Pradesh as an example where, he said, 70 per cent of the jobs were reserved for locals. “You must have heard of Himachal Pradesh. Look at the difference between their laws and ours. When a factory or a hotel is built there, or when someone receives a contract, 70 per cent of the workforce must be local,” he said. Omar said that in Himachal, if factories did not meet the 70 per cent local workforce requirement, they were shut down. “If this law is suitable for Himachal, then why not for J&K?” he asked.

Omar questioned why local youth should be deprived of work opportunities in contractual projects. “Don’t our young people have the right to employment? Why should there be a difference between us and others? If that law is right for Himachal, then it should be right for J&K too,” he said, adding that “God willing,” the government would implement such a law to ensure employment for locals.

The Chief Minister also asserted that the restoration of statehood was not the government’s final goal.

J & K