Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah cautioned the leadership of Ladakh against relying on verbal assurances from the central government regarding their demands for constitutional safeguards on land and employment.
During a visit to Pulwama district to review development projects, Abdullah warned that the state had been a victim of similar promises from the Bharatiya Janata Party‑led Centre, which had failed to restore statehood immediately after the assembly elections. He urged Ladakh and Kargil leaders to seek written, officially signed commitments before trusting the central government.
Abdullah also highlighted progress in Pulwama, noting that projects worth about Rs 100 crore, including roads, schools, hospitals, bridges and a dairy‑processing village, were either inaugurated or had foundation stones laid. He praised the deputy commissioner’s team for their performance and directed them to maximize the use of allocated funds in the remaining two to three months of the current working season, with plans for additional funding if the budget is fully utilized.
Addressing a strike by National Housing Mission employees, the chief minister said the government would discuss their demands only after the agitation ceased, emphasizing that dialogue is essential and that extracting demands under protest would set a problematic precedent. He declined to respond to opposition leader Sunil Sharma’s comments on the short duration of the assembly, stating he would reply only to a single statement per month.
