New Delhi: Omar Abdullah recently spoke at an event in New Delhi, stating that the current peace in Jammu & Kashmir is “forced” and “inorganic,” resulting from fear rather than genuine stability. He emphasised that if the peace were genuine, the Modi government wouldn’t have placed Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest to prevent him from attending his father-in-law’s funeral prayers.

At an event organised by The Red Mike in New Delhi, on invitation from senior journalist Sanket Upadhyay, I asked Omar Abdullah to share his experience by comparing the Kashmir situation in 2010 with 2025 – while he was the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir.

A visibly shaken and angry Abdullah instead went on a diatribe to criticise the removal of statehood and Article 370 in J&K while personally addressing the journalist. Omar’s reaction was quite telling while I had no intention to trigger the chief minister.

Omar Abdullah’s recent peace overtures in New Delhi ring hollow, given his past actions as Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir. Conveniently forgotten is his role in placing Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other Kashmiri separatists under house arrest on multiple occasions between 2009 and 2014.

In fact, Abdullah’s administration resorted to this tactic at least 20 times, often to prevent separatist leaders from attending public events or rallies.

For instance, ahead of the 2014 assembly elections, Abdullah’s government placed Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other Hurriyat leaders under house arrest in November 2014, specifically to prevent them from attending a rally in Kulgam, South Kashmir. These actions contradict Abdullah’s current stance on peace and reconciliation, highlighting the need for greater consistency and accountability under his leadership.

Let’s revisit........

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