Ganderbal, Jul 30: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that a single protest would not yield meaningful results, asserting that the party’s campaign for the restoration of statehood is a sustained political effort rather than a one-day event.
Speaking to reporters after reviewing various developmental works in his home constituency of Ganderbal, Abdullah said the National Conference took its protest to Delhi knowing that one demonstration alone would not secure the desired outcome.
“We took our protest to Delhi knowing fully well that we would not get anything from the first one. A promise was made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir regarding the restoration of statehood, and that promise remains unfulfilled,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the NC did not wait for August 5 to register its protest and had consistently raised the issue through every available democratic platform.
“We passed a resolution in the Legislative Assembly, ensuring that the voice and mandate of the people reached New Delhi formally. A single protest or symbolic political demonstration will not yield results. We did not sit quietly waiting for August 5 to raise our voice; we have used every available platform, including the Assembly, to make New Delhi understand what the people of Jammu and Kashmir genuinely want,” Abdullah said.
Responding to a question on the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Chief Minister expressed concern over reports of violence and civilian casualties.
“We are all concerned. We can only hope that peace prevails there as well,” he said.
