"Some Decision About This Very Soon": Minister On J&K Statehood Promise

Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Meghwal on Tuesday said statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be restored soon, prompting a quick response from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who said that he hoped that the wait is not too long.

The Union Minister said the issue of restoration of statehood to J&K is a sensitive issue and Union Home Minister has said it on the floor of the parliament that J&K will get back its statehood and he believes "a decision will be taken very soon".

"On the floor of the parliament, Home minister has said that you will get back your rights. For restoration there is a process. I believe you hear some decision about this very soon," said Meghwal, who was attending a function at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre in Srinagar.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was also present at the same event, said nobody in Jammu and Kashmir will be satisfied till the time the statehood is restored.

"We had hoped to receive some good news. We haven't. But we have not lost hope. There is continuous dialogue with the centre. I heard the Minister saying that we will hear some good news very soon. It has been one and half years, we have waited for that good news. We only hope that we won't have to wait much longer," said Abdullah.

Home Minister Amit Shah, while speaking in Lok Sabha on February 13, 2021, said Jammu and Kashmir's Union territory status was temporary and its statehood would be restored.

Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its statehood and special status on August 5, 2019. The Centre also divided Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Since then, the central government has repeatedly said that the statehood will be restored at an appropriate time. 

In 2023, the Centre told the Supreme Court that the statehood will be restored after the assembly elections. The court also directed the Centre to restore the statehood "at the earliest and as soon as possible".