Farooq Abdullah Leads SKICC Convention, Resolution Demands Statehood; Omar To Spearhead Srinagar, Jammu Rallies And Delhi Protest

More than 150 civil society representatives gathered in Srinagar on Tuesday, unanimously adopting a resolution that urged the Union government to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir without further delay.

The meeting, convened at SKICC and presided over by NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, reflected a show of unanimity across diverse sections of society.

Meanwhile, Omar Abdullah thanked the participants for their support. “The meeting was extremely productive and Dr Sahib was able to get a lot of useful feedback and good suggestions. The meeting passed a unanimous resolution calling on the Union government to fulfil its promise and restore FULL statehood to J-K without further delay," Abdullah posted on his personal ‘X’ handle.

NC has announced that its MLAs and MPs will stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Ahead of this, rallies are scheduled in Srinagar on July 11 and Jammu on July 12, where Omar Abdullah will address the public.

Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary had said the absence of statehood was hurting governance and development.

“Employment generation and funding are being affected. J&K’s expenditure and administrative responsibilities remain comparable to those of a state, but its financial allocation is at par with a union territory. It is being treated at par with Ladakh UT,” he argued.

Choudhary said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured people that statehood would be restored after Assembly elections.

“Despite the formation of an elected government 18 months ago, the promise remains unfulfilled,” he had said, urging all political parties committed to J&K’s interests to join the NC protest on July 20.

“Statehood is not just a constitutional demand; it is about restoring our identity and ensuring fair governance. Without it, our youth face unemployment, our development stalls, and our dignity is compromised,” said one civil society representative at the convention.