'Had Vajpayee's Roadmap Been Followed Our Situation Would Have Been Different,' Says Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah stated that if the Central government had followed Atal Bihari Vajpayee's roadmap, the situation would have been different.

Srinagar:Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader said that had the Central government followed up the roadmap of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Jammu and Kashmir, the situation would have been different.

Speaking on the obituary reference for the 57 deceased legislators and Parliamentarians in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today, Omar hailed Vajpayee for his Kashmir-centric roadmap and his initiative to resume ties with Pakistan. "Vajpayee ji talked about 'Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat, and sought to build bridges across divides and foster peace in the region. If Vajpayee's roadmap for Jammu and Kashmir had been fully embraced, our political situation might have been vastly different today,” said Omar.

"He initiated the Lahore bus service, famously visited Minar-e-Pakistan and tirelessly advocated for friendly ties with Pakistan. His slogan of ‘Jhamoriyat, Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat’ was not just a phrase, it was a roadmap for peace and coexistence," Omar added.

Omar recalled Vajpayee's popular statement that friends can be changed, but not neighbours. But, the Chief Minister regretted that his roadmap was abandoned. "Had Vajpayee's roadmap been followed in spirit, we would not have found ourselves where we are today," Omar said.

Omar said that the Vajpayee government rejected the autonomy resolution, which was passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, but later appointed the then Law Minister Arun Jaitley to engage in talks with the National Conference leadership on the autonomy issue.

"Unfortunately, that process was left unfinished after his government changed," Omar rued. The Jammu and Kashmir assembly today on the second day of its session paid obituaries to 57 legislators, who had passed away since the last session of the assembly in 2018.