Srinagar, Jan 28: As the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir prepares for its first “Budget Session” in March 2025, the legislators may not be allowed to discuss matters pertaining to All India Services, the Police, Law and Order, and Security.
The presentation of the 2025-26 annual budget, will be the first since the assembly was reconstituted in October 2024.
Jammu and Kashmir, reorganized into two Union Territories on October 31, 2019, has operated without a legislative assembly for many years.
Sources from the Assembly Secretariat said that there is every possibility that written questions on All India Services like IAS, Police, Law and Order, and security matters will not be permitted during the session, nor will these topics be debated unless allowed by the Speaker under special circumstances.
Additionally, issues related to All India Services are also likely to be excluded from the discussion.
Opposition leaders have said that if such restrictions are put in place these would undermine their ability to represent their constituents effectively.
Sheikh Khurshid of the Awami Ittehad Party and Waheed ur Rehman Para of the PDP criticized the move, stating that security and law and order are central to the daily lives of people in Jammu and Kashmir. “From passports to jobs, police verification is mandatory here. If we cannot address issues related to law and order, we are doing a disservice to our voters,” said Para.
National Conference MLA Salman Sagar echoed similar views, pointing out the inherent challenge. “When the police and law and order are outside the purview of the state government, what answers can the state government provide on these issues? This limits our ability to hold meaningful discussions,” he said.
A senior BJP leader said, “In a Union Territory, security and law and order are controlled by the Centre. This arrangement has reduced political interference in police operations, allowing them to function more effectively. In the past, political pressure often hampered the police from acting decisively,”
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, however, is reportedly in discussions with the Centre to push for the restoration of full statehood. Though no definite timeline has been given, it is hoped by the ruling dispensation that the statehood will be announced in near future. (KNO)
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