Owais Gul
Srinagar, Jan 13: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil his promises of restoring the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Omar at the inaugural ceremony of Sonamarg Tunnel in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district praised PM Modi for fulfilling two of his promises out of three made during his speech in Srinagar after assuming the office last year for the third straight term.
“You talked about three important things including ‘Dil ki duri aur Delhi se duri’, and you have proved it by your work. This is your second function in Jammu and Kashmir within 15 days after inaugurating (virtually from Delhi) the separate Jammu Railway Division (on January 6) and today the inauguration of Sonamarg tunnel,” the Chief Minister told the Prime Minister.
“The second promise of conducting assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir was also fulfilled as the people, who turned up in large numbers after getting a chance to elect their representatives with no complaints of rigging and other related things. That’s why I am here today,” he said.
However, he stated that the third promise of restoring statehood to J&K has not been fulfilled yet and the people here including the media persons usually ask him the questions related to it. “My heart believes that the promise will also be fulfilled by you soon,” he said.
He thanked Prime Minister Modi for visiting Kashmir in the cold weather and said, “We hope that you will come again and again, and join in our happiness.”
Earlier, the Chief Minister started his inaugural speech while remembering the seven persons including a doctor who were killed in an attack at Gagangeer in October last year. He read the names of all the slain persons, who were involved in the construction work of Sonamarg tunnel.
Omar stated that they sacrificed their lives for this project and the progress of this nation. “I belong to the party which has sacrificed a lot for this nation as we were not ready to see the division of the country. From the past 35 years, the people in J&K have sacrificed their lives for the progress of this nation,” he said.
Omar added that the presence of PM Modi to inaugurate this project is a clear message to those who don’t want the progress of J&K. “We will not allow anti-peace elements to succeed and they will have to face defeat. They won’t be allowed to harm democracy,” Omar said.
The Chief Minister also stated that the Sonamarg will be developed as a tourist destination and this tunnel will also facilitate speedy work on the Zojila tunnel.
He also praised the Prime Minister for his efforts for establishing peace along the Line of Control (LoC). “We are seeing the results as the tourists are visiting far-off places along the LoC,” he said. (KNO)
