Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has rejected claims that Kashmiri Pandit employees have been left without housing, saying “not a single person is homeless” and ready transit accommodation has been allotted. His remarks come as PM Package employees protest over secure housing following threat letters and demand faster possession of government quarters amid growing concerns about their safety in Kashmir.
CM Abdullah said there was a clear difference between the position of a political party and the obligations of a government at an official event. He said events attended by senior constitutional authorities such as the governor, lieutenant governor and acting chief justice must follow the prescribed official protocol. Abdullah said similar rules apply across India, including in states governed by Congress. CM Abdullah said the National Conference as a political party had never formally adopted Vande Mataram, but the government was still required to follow its statutory obligations. Chief Minister Abdullah said Sadiq’s remarks had been made in a historical context.
His comments come against the backdrop of protests by Kashmiri Pandit employees working in the Valley under the Prime Minister’s employment package. Employees have been demanding faster allotment of secure government quarters after a series of threat letters increased concerns about their safety. Chief Minister Abdullah also addressed a separate political dispute over the rendition of Vande Mataram at official functions, an issue that has drawn objections from the Congress, an alliance partner of the National Conference. He argued that such requirements cannot be treated as a statement of a party’s political ideology. He referred to historical accounts, including those of Walter Lawrence, to argue that severe poverty in Kashmir’s past was well documented.
