Most tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir have reopened: CM Omar Abdullah

Most tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have reopened, and the government is taking all necessary precautions to encourage more people to visit for holidays and film shoots, said J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday (September 13, 2025).

Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of an event organised in Chennai by The Good Deeds Club on Saturday (September 13, 2025), Mr. Abdullah said: “We do not get enough visitors from Chennai and the rest of Tamil Nadu to Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, one of the challenges that my government has taken upon itself is to try and improve the links and connections between the States south of the Vindhyas and Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore, we hope that in the months and years ahead, we will see more film shootings from this part of the country and more people coming to Jammu and Kashmir for their holidays.”

Answering questions pertaining to the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, Mr. Abdullah said: “We conducted a comprehensive security audit of all our tourist destinations. Some of them, even at this moment, are not open for tourism activity. However, most places have reopened, and we are taking all necessary precautions.”

Responding to questions about the INDIA bloc, he said: “There is no gap or difference between the National Conference and the INDIA bloc. We continue to remain a part of it. The Congress party is part of the alliance that is in government in Jammu and Kashmir, though for their own reasons, they are not participating in the government at the moment. They have said they will join the government once Statehood is restored to Jammu and Kashmir. Otherwise, we are very much a part of the INDIA bloc.”

‘Good that PM is visiting Manipur’

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur, Mr. Abdullah said: “I think it is a good thing. There has been a lot of commentary about the fact that Prime Minister Modi has avoided travelling to that part of the country, particularly after the violence that broke out in 2023. Better late than never. It is good that he is visiting. We hope that peace and calm are restored, and that the differences between the two tribal communities are reduced to the point where people are able to live their lives normally.”

Speaking about the India versus Pakistan cricket match on Sunday (September 14), Mr. Abdullah said: “Our problem has always been bilateral cricket matches. I do not think we have ever had a problem with multilateral ones, being part of large tournaments. If I understand correctly, this game is part of a tournament. It is not part of a bilateral series between the two countries. If this is a start and things can go in a positive trajectory from there, nothing like it. Very often, sport becomes a victim to politics. And nowhere is this more true than with cricket and the subcontinent. But you can’t wish away what happens. My part of the country has been the direct victim of this -- more than 35 years of trouble. And this year, we all saw what happened in Pahalgam. These are real concerns that we have. And you can’t wish them away.”

‘Statehood promise must be fulfilled’

Stressing the need for Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Abdullah said: “Law and order, policing: these are all responsibilities of elected governments. Jammu and Kashmir has been promised full Statehood by the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and other representatives of the Government of India when this matter was being argued before the Supreme Court. So there is no reason why this promise should not be kept. Again, this is something that should have already happened. We believe that this promise must be honoured, and the elected government must be empowered in the way the people wanted it to be.”

Linked to this, is the decision to arrest an honourable MLA, he said, referring to the recent arrest of Mehraj Malik, the Aam Aadmi Party’s lone MLA in J&K. “Whatever complaints there may have been about the conduct of the MLA, the law that has been used to detain him is, as I said, a misuse of that law, and an excessive use of force against an elected representative.” Mr. Abdullah said that “detaining him under the draconian Public Safety Act, under which he is not eligible for bail for at least six months, is definitely an excessive use of force.”

“He should never have been arrested under this law, and the sooner he is released, the better. By all means, if there is a complaint about his conduct, take it up with the Speaker of the Assembly. There are other ways to deal with it,” he added.

“We have not compromised on anything. From the day we were elected, we have stood steadfast in our belief that Statehood must be restored. And we were the ones who passed a resolution in the Assembly, asking for the special status of Jammu and Kashmir to be restored. We are the last people who will compromise on a mandate that has been given to us by the people,” he said.

On Special Intensive Revision

Pointing to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Mr. Abdullah said: “Obviously, there are concerns with regard to this special dispensation that was created for Bihar. And how useful it will be for the ruling alliance, I think, will be shown when the results come out. One hears about the mood of the people, and it had left the people in Bihar very dissatisfied with the conduct of the Election Commission. I am not sure the Election Commission wants to do something in the rest of the country that will add to the questions over its credibility.”

“We have always taken pride in the independence and the impartiality of the Election Commission. I think our Election Commission needs to hold true to those ideals. It wasn’t without reason that T.N. Seshan was a much admired person across the country because he ensured the independence and the impartiality of the Election Commission. I think those are the days we need to go back to.”