Omar Abdullah-no 'playboy politician'

Curse be upon me if I ask for statehood now,” said a visibly moved Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, responding to the dastardly terrorist attack on innocents in Pahalgam that claimed 26 innocent lives.

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He went on to say, “There were no words when I met the families.... The children who saw their fathers in blood... the woman who was married a few days ago.”

At 59, Omar stands at a unique moment in history. His call to “stand together as Indians—not just as Kashmiris”—was the most stirring part of his address. He admitted he can’t control a “terrorist with a gun” but can definitely “end militancy if people are with us”. That time has come, declared Omar boldly and unequivocally.