Jammu, February 5, 2026 : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday took a veiled swipe at the BJP, questioning its 2019 claim that terrorism would end after the abrogation of Article 370, saying encounters are continuing even in 2026.
His remarks came amid a fresh spate of gunfights in the Jammu region. Three Pakistani terrorists were killed in encounters with security forces in the higher reaches of Ramnagar in Udhampur district and Chatroo in Kishtwar on Wednesday. With these incidents, the death toll in nine encounters in the Jammu region over the past three weeks has risen to five.
Earlier, a Pakistani terrorist was killed in Kathua on January 23, while an Army paratrooper lost his life during an encounter in Kishtwar on January 18.
“It just keeps going on. They were killed, fine, but where did they come from? How did they reach Udhampur? Since when were they there? And how long will this continue?” Abdullah asked while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Jammu.
“We were told that after 2019, this cycle would end. But even in 2026, it has started again and is not stopping,” he added.
The chief minister was responding to a question about the killing of two Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists in a two-day-long operation in the Ramnagar forest area of Udhampur district. He expressed concern that regions which were largely free of terrorism before 2014–15 are now witnessing such incidents.
“On the contrary, areas that were completely free of terrorism earlier are now seeing these incidents. So how did they reach Udhampur? Since when were they present there? Somewhere, we must get answers to these questions,” he said.
Asked about the upcoming three-day visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah declined to comment in detail. “I do not want to discuss it in the media. We will sit across the table and talk. There are many issues that need to be discussed face-to-face,” he said.
Responding to another query on the rising number of cancer cases in the Union Territory, the chief minister acknowledged that cancer incidence is increasing and said the reasons behind it can only be established by medical experts.
He outlined three key responsibilities of the government in addressing the issue: increasing funding for research and development along with proper infrastructure, strengthening the healthcare system to ensure cancer institutes function effectively, and providing financial support to economically weaker patients for whom treatment has become extremely costly.
“The government is working on a special package for such patients, which will be announced in due course,” Abdullah said.
