Srinagar, Sep 26
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said that the arrest of activist Sonam Wangchuk in Leh is unfortunate. Sonam Wangchuk was arrested today two days after violent protests in the Leh city, in which four people died and several others injured.
Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister, per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said it was unfortunate that Wangchuk has been arrested, but the way the Centre has been targeting him over the past few days made it seem inevitable.
He also said that the Centre had made promises to the people of Jammu & Kashmir but failed to fulfill them. “I don’t know what compulsion the Centre has that it keeps making promises but never fulfills them,” he said.
He said that the people of Ladakh had decided to boycott the elections, but after Union Minister’s visit and fresh assurances, they not only participated in the polls but also helped the BJP win.
When asked about Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma’s allegation that the Chief Minister was justifying violence, CM Omar said there was no justification for it. “There is no reason to justify violence, but it has become a habit of the LoP to shift blame. He should answer why this situation has arisen. I am neither Ladakh’s LG nor do I control the security apparatus,” he said.
CM Omar also questioned the delay in restoring statehood to Jammu & Kashmir. “Why hasn’t statehood been restored? Is it because the LoP is not the Chief Minister? If that’s the condition, then they should tell the court clearly that statehood will not be restored until the BJP is out of power. But we won’t let them come to power. Even if they delay statehood restoration, we will continue to run the government in the current setup,” he said—(KNO)
