CM pays tributes to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his 119th birth anniversary
Shadow Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 5:
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said he will take up with the issue of restoring statehood to J-K with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.Jammu tourism packagesJammu and Kashmir property listings
“The prime minister and the home minister were busy with elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. But now that they have time, this issue will be taken up so that J-K’s statehood is restored soon,” Abdullah told reporters after attending a function to commemorate the 42nd foundation day of SKIMS Hospital here.
The foundation for the tertiary care hospital was laid on the birth anniversary of National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on this day in 1982, less than three months after his demise.
Asked if the holiday on the NC founder’s birth anniversary will be restored, the chief minister said there are many things that need to be brought back in Jammu and Kashmir, but the priority is to restore its statehood first.
“There are many other dates as well, but we have to fight a bigger contest. We have to fight for the restoration of J-K’s statehood. We are hopeful that the prime minister will keep his promise made not to us, but to the people of J-K during the Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly polls that followed,” Abdullah said.
“The elections saw huge participation of people. There were no complaints of people being forcibly taken to the booths. Rather, they went on their own and made the elections a huge success with the hope that the promises made to them, especially on restoring J-K’s statehood, will be fulfilled,” the chief minister said.
On the importance of SKIMS Hospital, Abdullah said it was built so that
Omar vows to take
people of J-K do not feel the need to go to other tertiary care institutes such as the PGI or AIIMS. “This hospital has served the people of J-K. Yet there are some weaknesses and shortcomings. The autonomy of SKIMS, along with its engineering wing, must be restored,” Abdullah said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today visited Naseembagh, Hazratbal, to pay tributes to the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and former J&K Chief Minister, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, on his 119th birth anniversary.
Popularly known as Sher-e-Kashmir, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah is remembered for his visionary leadership and his enduring contributions to Jammu and Kashmir.
He was the father of NC President Dr. Farooq Abdullah and the grandfather of the party’s Working President and current Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.
In a solemn ceremony held at Naseembagh, the Chief Minister, accompanied by Dr. Farooq Abdullah and other senior party leaders, paid floral tributes at Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s mausoleum.
They also offered Fateha (special prayers) at his grave to honor his legacy and reaffirm their commitment to the ideals he stood for.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reflected on Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s enduring impact on Jammu and Kashmir, stating, “Sher-e-Kashmir’s vision continues to inspire us to work tirelessly for the betterment of our people. Today, we remember his sacrifices and reaffirm our dedication to his ideals of justice, equality, and communal harmony.”
Dr. Farooq Abdullah also expressed his deep respect for his father’s contributions, calling him “a guiding light whose principles will always lead us forward.”
The commemoration programme was attended by senior party leaders, workers, and supporters who gathered to commemorate the life and legacy of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, a towering figure in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.
The lack of business rules in delineating the powers of the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister is the key ‘obstruction’ in the functioning of the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir, a top National Conference (NC) leader said on Thursday.
Showkat Ahmad Mir, NC’s Kashmir president, told ETV Bharat that the government’s panel of ministers has readied business rules and will be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs soon to put an end to the impasse.
“The present obstruction is business rules and once that is cleared everything will be okay,” he said in response to a query on the lack of official order on the cabinet panel of three ministers on reviewing the reservation policy.
“It (the business rules) will clear (the confusion) and determine the domain of Chief Minister and Lieutenant Governor,” he said at the graveyard of the party’s founder late Sheikh Abdullah in Srinagar. “Once statehood is restored, this all will die of its own and we will have the old days as we were enjoying a strong state of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The lack of clarity over the powers of the elected government stalled the proposals including restoring the holiday on the birth anniversary of the NC’s founder and erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.
Popularly known as Sher-e-Kashmir, December 5 marked the 119 birth anniversary of NC founder and erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister and Chief Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. The LG administration had cancelled several holidays including Sheikh’s from the list of holidays in 2020.
But the Omar Abdullah-led government had submitted the proposal of reinstating the holiday to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha last month but it could not get through so far, said an official.
Nasir Aslam Wani, who is the Advisor to Abdullah conceded the Council of Ministers formally submitted the proposal on it, hoping it will be restored from next year.
The NC’s provincial president Mir said that they will not only restore the holiday on the Sheikh’s birth anniversary but will also reinstate the holiday on the ‘martyrs day’ commemorated in the memory of 22 people killed in the uprising against the Dogra monarch on July 13, 1931.
“Unfortunately, the LG dispensation cancelled two important holidays on the birthday of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and Martyrs Day. We have promised to restore them in our but no decision has been taken yet because of a lack of clarity over business rules about the powers of LG and Lieutenant Governor. We will declare two important days as holidays,” Mir added.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah alongside his father and NC president Farooq Abdullah offered their prayers at the mausoleum to pay tributes to Sheikh Abdullah on the banks of Dal Lake. The party’s legislators and people including women, men and youth from both Kashmir as well as Jammu region on the banks of Dal Lake gathered early morning amid a chill to pay their tributes. Sheikh Abdullah passed away in 1983.
Highlighting the contributions of the late Sheikh, several party leaders said the popularity of Jammu and Kashmir’s towering leader still exists. “People from all corners are here. It is the legacy of the Sheikh which pulls everybody toward him. His secularism and everything that he has taught us, we are proud to be part of this legacy,” said additional spokesperson Shriya Handoo.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday expressed his concern over the attack on former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, calling for an inquiry into the incident to restrict such kinds of incidents in the future.
Speaking to the media, Abdullah shared that he had talked to Sukhbir Singh Badal after the incident.
“I spoke to Sukhbir. Yesterday, after the attack on him, I thanked the almighty that he survived. We discussed the situation,” Omar Abdullah said.
“I spoke to Sukhbir. Yesterday after the attack on him, I expressed gratefulness to the almighty that he survived the attack. We spoke about the situation,” Omar Abdullah said.
“It’s a matter of concern if, in daylight hours, a former deputy chief minister, a Z+ protectee, can be attacked like this. This needs to be looked at to ensure that this does not happen again because let’s not forget that not long ago Punjab went through a very difficult phase in the 80s and early 90s, and God forbid we see something like that again,” the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister added.
Notably, an assassination attempt was made on Sukhbir Singh Badal at the Golden Temple on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Sukhbir Singh Badal performed ‘seva’ at Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib on Thursday.
The assailant, Narain Singh Chaura, attempted to shoot Badal while he was performing ‘seva.’ However, Badal was unharmed, and the attacker was quickly overpowered and arrested.
Badal was performing ‘seva’ after being declared a ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) in August by the Akal Takht due to his “mistakes” and “decisions” taken by the SAD-led government in the state from 2007 to 2017.
As part of his punishment, Sukhbir Singh Badal was seen washing utensils at Takhat Sri Kesgarh Sahib, and his family members also joined him in the service.
Following the attack, Bikram Singh Majithia, General Secretary of Shiromani Akali Dal, criticised the Punjab Police SP, who was seen shaking hands with the attacker, Narain Singh Chaura, on CCTV footage.
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said, “Sukhbir Singh Badal is alive today by the grace of God… Yesterday I released a video of SP-level officer Harpal Singh Randhawa, who is from Dera Baba Nanak, shaking hands with Narain Singh Chaura (attacker). Have we ever seen a police officer shaking hands with an ISI agent (Narayan Singh Chaura)? The Punjab Police have launched a cover-up operation, and the High Court or Supreme Court should investigate this matter.”
Majithia also took on Amritsar Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar for suggesting that Badal might have orchestrated the incident himself to gain sympathy. Majithia accused Bhullar of making such remarks to protect his position and cover up his failure.
Police sources revealed that the attacker, Narain Singh Chaura, is a hardcore Pakistan-returned terrorist and former head of the Akal Federation and had authored books on guerrilla warfare and other seditious subjects. “He was involved in the smuggling of weapons and explosives into Punjab during the early years of militancy.
He reportedly crossed into Pakistan in 1984 and remained there for several years before he returned to Punjab. During his stay in Pakistan, he was remotely in touch with radical organisations in Punjab and helping them,” said a senior official.
