Abrogation of Art 370 was the biggest policy mistake by India, says Omar Abdullah

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Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah in conversation with Dr. Narayan Lakshman, The Hindu's Opinion editor and The Hindu Huddle's curator. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Seeking the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said that the abrogation of Article 370 was the biggest policy mistake done by the Indian government. He was answering a question on the single biggest policy mistake India could make in Kashmir over the next decade. “You have already made it, in 2019,” he said. He was in conversation with Dr. Narayan Lakshman, Opinion Editor, The Hindu, and Curator, The Hindu Huddle, in a session titled ‘Beyond the Valley: The role of Kashmir in great power politics’.

In a candid conversation on myriad issues, Mr. Abdullah reflected on the geostrategic significance of Jammu and Kashmir, the perception about Muslim youth of the valley, the impact of West Asian conflict on the state, the complex issues affecting it. He also spoke elaborately about the linkage made by the Central government between development and abrogation of Article 370, stating that the two were not related. While expressing his opinion on ‘One Nation, One Election’, he said that it was realistically difficult to make it work in a diverse country like India.

“The clauses in Article 370 were never a cause of lack of development in Jammu and Kashmir. It has suffered due to 30-35 years of violence. The fact that J&K was perceived as an unsafe place, is what we paid the price of,” he said, adding that there are several other states in the country where different rules are applicable at the regional level. “The BJP had said that we can’t have two different systems in the same country. That was the stick used to beat us. But there are other places where you can’t buy land, or face other restrictions. It is a part of politics of the BJP. And we are suffering because of it,” he said.

Questioning the BJP over the alleged commitment of the Prime Minister, termed as ‘Modi ka