Omar Abdullah is guest at Adda today

A LITTLE OVER a year ago, when Omar Abdullah took over as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, he knew he was wearing a crown of thorns.

- BASHAARAT MASOOD

But with a massive mandate behind him and buoyed by a hope that statehood will return to the Union Territory, Omar took charge and attempted to steer Kashmir through its layered political challenges and developmental aspirations.

A year on, however, his optimism is tempered by reality — he has admitted that the challenges in J&K, especially in a dual power structure, turned out to be far more complex and demanding than probably what he anticipated.

With police not under the elected government, and Raj (Lok) Bhawan vested with significant powers including even transfer and postings of IAS officers, the Chief Minister is faced with administrative limitations on one side and huge public expectation on the other.