Editor JK News Today
Comment
The meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Delhi on Monday needs to be seen in the light of the discussions on key issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir in a positive manner .
Such meetings are productive and work on the shared road ahead for the well-being of the Union Territory. The very optics of Home Minister and Omar Abdullah greeting each other with broad smiles speaks of the kind of relations that head of the elected government is having with the Centre . This has not only the appeal for the people of the country , J&K , in particular, but it has a strategic importance off telling all the sceptics within and outside that J&K and the Centre have shared views on the Union Territory .
This is quite necessary to look at the realities of the times vis-à-vis Jammu and Kashmir instead of speculation on the nature of discussions between the two leaders – ( a) Amit Shah looks after all the affairs of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir as Home Minister , ( b) Omar Abdullah Is the elected Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir , ( c) therefore it is necessary that the two should be meeting regularly to address all the issues which crop up in the UT from time to time .
Chief Minister’s X handle posted a cryptic message “ Chief Minister Today met Hon’ble Home Minister @Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss various matters concerning Jammu and Kashmir.”
Decoding , “ various matters concerning Jammu and Kashmir” is both very easy and difficult task. it all depends which side of the picture the analysts want to see. The Home Minister knows what all has gone into making the UT a normal place. He has been monitoring the situation on regular basis and every no and then he has been holding review meetings to determine the changing status of the place and mood of the people .
Home Minister , whether sitting in New Delhi , or travelling to J&K, has always taken three things into account – the dynamics of the security situation , developmental activities and the day-to-day governance , and what more is needed to be done .
The threat of terrorism, in whatever form and scale it exists , is the primary concern of the Government of India . Unless the whole of terrorism is wiped out in realistic terms , J&K will not have free access to peace , and that will impact its growth trajectory . This keeps lingering fear hanging in air . Centre is also interested and it has invested a lot in developmental activities to lure the youth to the positive avenues . Creating a positive alternative to the destructive tendencies is as much as important as quelling the sources of radicalization and growth . Pakistan , of course , is a factor that has to be dealt with all the military, political and diplomatic might , but keeping own house in order is also a primary responsibility that Home Minister is doing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Omar Abdullah ever since he formed the government in October 2025, has been asking for more powers to govern the UT, which he is pitching to become state yet again. He is facing the real problems his government is facing . He has made his problems with an indifferent bureaucracy , and trespass on the powers of the elected government , known from private conversations to the public gatherings . This display of helplessness is weakening him , but the people have started doubting whether the elections were worth in 2024 .
On many occasions , Chief Minister has praised the Centre, Prime Minister in particular, for being kind to J&K and helping him resolve financial constraints at the cost of political price that he had to pay . He is accused of endearing BJP and its leadership , but the reality demands that he maintains cordial relationship with the Centre. Kashmir’s cordial relationship with Delhi, no matters who rules from Delhi, is national imperative .
During the meeting he might have discussed the issues about the empowerment of the elected government , forthcoming tourism season, and the mounting pressures on government to deliver on promises which will lift confidence of the people. That confidence is must for permanent peace that Centre is looking for in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister himself is the biggest stakeholder in this pursuit of peace . He should avoid drawing partition that security is not his department . He is not having powers on security forces and law and order, but he cannot escape his responsibility in contributing to peace in the region .
