Will revoke PSA once statehood is restored: CM Omar

Srinagar, Oct 18: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday announced that his government would revoke the Public Safety Act (PSA) immediately after the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, describing it as one of the key promises of the National Conference’s (NC) election manifesto.

Addressing a news conference in Srinagar, CM Omar said that the government would not even wait for the Assembly session to repeal the law and would instead issue an ordinance to scrap it.

“When we made the party manifesto public, I asserted that many points flagged there can only be fulfilled once we have statehood. This is a fact because security and law and order fall under the Lieutenant Governor’s jurisdiction. I reiterate, once statehood is restored, our government will revoke the PSA from J&K,” he said.

Rejecting speculation about any understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), CM Omar ruled out an alliance of any kind, saying the NC would never “repeat the mistakes of 2015.”

“We have already seen how much the PDP-BJP coalition ruined J&K. It was a useless alliance, and we are still reeling from its consequences. We will not make the same mistake again,” he said.

The CM challenged the BJP to come clean on whether statehood restoration depended on whether the Union Territory had a BJP-led government.

“If so, they should be transparent and say that as long as a non-BJP government is in power, J&K will never get statehood. Then we will know what we are dealing with,” he said. “The BJP never made such conditions in its manifesto or statements before Parliament and the Supreme Court.”

CM Omar also revealed that he was consulting legal experts on the possibility of making his office a party to the petitions pending before the Supreme Court seeking restoration of statehood.

“I am the only person in the country who has served as CM of both a State and a Union Territory. This experience gives me a unique perspective on the disadvantages of the UT system,” he said. “If my lawyers advise that becoming a party to the case will help the people of J&K, I will not hesitate to do so.”

About his expectations from the Supreme Court, the CM said, “We should have hope. But I hear people linking the Pahalgam incident to the delay in restoring statehood, which is unfair since no one involved in that attack was from J&K.”

Reiterating the need for completing the political process, he said, “It was said in the Parliament that there are three steps – delimitation, elections, and statehood. Two have been completed. Now we hope the third will follow soon.”

Highlighting administrative hurdles under the UT structure, CM Omar said even the appointment of an Advocate General (AG) had been obstructed.

“We appointed an AG soon after assuming office, but he has not been allowed to work. Technically, we have one, but he has been stopped from functioning,” he said. “The authority to appoint the AG lies with the elected government. The absence of an AG weakens the legal face of governance.”

Commenting on the ongoing agitation in Ladakh, the CM said it was “extremely unfortunate” that promises such as Sixth Schedule protection had not been fulfilled.

“The people of Ladakh were pushed to the wall. Do we want to push the people of J&K the same way?” he said.

CM Omar also urged parity in domicile laws between the two Union Territories created after the 2019 bifurcation.

On the November 11 Assembly by-polls to two vacant seats, he confirmed that the NC had offered the Nagrota seat to its ally Congress, while the Budgam candidate would be announced within 48 hours.

“We have decided to support the Congress in Nagrota to help it strengthen its base in Jammu,” the CM said.

The Budgam seat had fallen vacant after Omar Abdullah resigned to retain his Ganderbal constituency, while the Nagrota seat fell vacant following the death of BJP MLA Devinder Singh Rana.

Turning to tourism, the CM said the government was committed to reviving the sector, which supports thousands of families, but lamented that several destinations remained closed since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

“We didn’t close places like Doodhpathri, Drang, or upper Gulmarg even at the height of militancy. Now, when the situation is better, why are these areas shut?” he said.

CM Omar said the closure sends a negative message to potential visitors.

“If we are afraid to open these areas, it creates the impression that there is danger. That is why tourists are hesitant to come,” he said.

While acknowledging the Centre’s assistance, the CM said conflicting voices within the J&K administration were damaging the tourism narrative.

“On one hand, the elected government promotes tourism, and on the other, the unelected side keeps places closed. This double-speak confuses tourists,” he said.