Srinagar, Aug 15, 2025 : Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday announced a door-to-door signature campaign across all 90 assembly constituencies to demand the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, vowing to present the collected signatures before the Supreme Court.
Speaking at the Independence Day function in Bakshi Stadium, Abdullah referred to recent Supreme Court observations linking the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack to the statehood issue, calling it “unfortunate” and “unfair” to the people of J&K.
“The court has given the government eight weeks to respond. We will use this time to reach every home and gather signatures. If people refuse to sign, I will accept defeat. These voices must be taken from our streets to the places where decisions are made,” he said.
Abdullah questioned why the actions of terrorists and their handlers should influence the statehood decision. “Will the killers of Pahalgam decide our future? Every time we get close to statehood, they will try to sabotage it. Why should we be punished for a crime we had no role in?”
He reminded that people from Kathua to Kupwara protested the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians — mostly tourists — were killed in the Baisaran meadow of south Kashmir.
