'Cannot link J&K statehood to Pak's terrorism strategy'

Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said that the region’s demand for the restoration of statehood should not be linked to Pakistan's terror activities, saying that the aspirations of the people cannot be held hostage to cross-border violence.

- Ramesh Vinayak

In an interview with HT, Abdullah — the first chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir — said the return of statehood must be based on political will in New Delhi and not dictated by Pakistan-sponsored terror strikes such as the recent Pahalgam attack.