Ex-J&K Dy CM says Omar Abdullah ‘frustrated’, unable to see change

Jammu, July 25 (IANS) Former J&K Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said on Thursday that remaining out of power and losing the Lok Sabha election has created ‘frustration’ in former CM Omar Abdullah. Talking to IANS, Gupta said, “These people have ruled J&K for 65 years. They were born and have lived in security protection and still, they are unable to see the change in the overall situation in the UT.”He said Omar Abdullah has started disputing even the official figures about the militancy-related incidents.“They have been sympathisers of the Jamaati-e-Islami and other separatist organisations. They are unable to live with the idea of the change that J&K has undergone during the last five years,” Gupta said.He was criticising the statement of Omar Abdullah in which the latter had attacked the Centre over the US advisory to its citizens on the J&K situation.Earlier in the day, Abdullah posted on X “In asking US citizens to not visit Jammu and Kashmir, the advisory points to ‘terrorist attacks’ and ‘violent civil unrest,’ as well as ‘sporadic violence’ between the Indian and Pakistani forces along the Line of Control (LoC). So much for ‘naya J&K’. For all the talk of normalcy, peace, tourism & the G-20 tamasha in Srinagar, J&K continues to be the target of US state department travel advisories. The Modi government has been able to change nothing.”“The Indian government says that violence has reduced since 2019, when it revoked a constitutional provision that gave the region special autonomy. Since 2021, there have been 33 militant-related attacks in Jammu, according to official data. In 2024 alone, the region has seen eight attacks, in which 11 soldiers have been killed and 18 injured. Civilian deaths in Jammu in the first six months of this year were 12, the same number as the whole of 2023,” Abdullah further posted.–IANSsq/dpb