Omar Abdullah meets PM Modi in Delhi, discusses security situation in J&K

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Saturday and discussed the security situation in the Union territory after the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22.

 

According to officials, the meeting lasted around 30 minutes.

 

The meeting comes as India has been weighing in its response to the attack that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, in the scenic valley.

 

New Delhi has alleged the role of Pakistan-based terrorists groups in the strike and announced a multi-pronged punitive measures against the neighbouring country, including suspension of the Indus Water Treaty and closing of land border crossing.

 

Last Monday, while addressing the J&K Assembly, Omar Abdulah said the spontaneous public outrage after the Pahalgam attack is an indication that terrorism may end soon in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

"I did not have the words to apologise to these families though the security of Jammu and Kashmir is not the responsibility of the elected government. As the Tourism Minister, I invited these people to come here.

 

"Being the host, it was my responsibility to send them back safely. I could not send them back," Abdullah said, with his voice heavy with emotion.

 

The chief minister also made it clear that he would not cite the massacre to push for J&K’s statehood restoration.

 

“My politics is not so cheap...this is not the time to demand statehood,” he said.

India