Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister & National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said that there is a context to word temporary or transitional associated with Art 370.

Omar Abdullah has reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India was permanent, but so were the conditions and the framework that enabled it. Challenging the selective interpretation of constitutional provisions, he argued that both aspects must be treated equally, rather than one being considered permanent and the other temporary.

“What was to happen in Jammu and Kashmir to make it permanent? Acceptance into the system? No, sir. If you are going to leave this, then take the whole thing. What was the promise made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir at the point of accession that made this temporary and transitional? The promise was a plebiscite,” Abdullah asserted.

He explained that at the time of accession, Jammu and Kashmir’s status had not been fully formalized, and it was understood that its future would be determined through democratic means. Over time, the accession was accepted as final, but Abdullah insisted that the framework governing it should have remained unchanged.

“If accession is permanent, then the conditions and the framework that made accession possible are also permanent. One cannot be temporary while the other is permanent. Either both are temporary or both are permanent,” he stated.

He accused the central government of selectively interpreting Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status. “We used to see both as permanent. We don’t pick and choose. We say that accession is permanent, and the conditions and the framework of accession are also permanent. But you say that accession is permanent, while the framework is temporary. This is the difference in our thinking,” he remarked.

He accused the central government of selectively interpreting Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status. “We used to see both as permanent. We don’t pick and choose. We say that accession is permanent, and the conditions and the framework of accession are also permanent. But you say that accession is permanent, while the framework is temporary. This is the difference in our thinking,” he remarked.(Agencies)