Since taking the oath as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in October 2024, Omar Abdullah has met Union Home Minister Amit Shah five times in Delhi, with restoration of statehood as a central demand. Two years after the elections, however, Jammu and Kashmir continues to remain a Union Territory, with no clarity over its restoration of statehood.
His fifth meeting was on September 4 to discuss crucial matters regarding Jammu and Kashmir, especially early restoration of statehood. It was the first interaction between the two leaders after Abdullah staged a protest in the national capital during the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament to demand the restoration of full statehood.
Omar’s first meeting with Shah came just a week later, after becoming chief minister on October 16, 2024. During the half-hour meeting, he emphasised the “urgent need for the reinstatement of statehood” and handed Shah a resolution passed by his council of ministers seeking its restoration.
The issue remained on the agenda when he met Shah again on December 19, 2024. The meeting came amid the new government’s concerns over governance and the limitations imposed by the Union Territory structure. It was the second time Omar had sought a meeting with the home minister since taking charge as chief minister.
Their third meeting came during the budget session of Parliament on February 10, 2025. Statehood, along with security and governance issues, figured in the discussions.
A considerably longer gap followed before Omar met Shah again on May 11, 2026, seeking clearance of pending files and discussing issues concerning the functioning of the administration. Statehood continued to be part of the process, but there was no announcement on its restoration.
Their latest meeting, on September 4, brought the issue back into focus. According to Omar’s office, restoration of statehood, finalisation of the Transaction of Business Rules and rationalisation of reservations were among the matters discussed.
Importantly, other meetings between Omar and Shah during this period were not statehood-related interactions. Their encounters on issues such as the review of criminal laws, flood relief and security were official review meetings.
Omar has also taken the demand directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On June 11, 2026, he met Modi and pressed for the early restoration of statehood. The National Conference subsequently took its campaign to Delhi, with Omar leading a protest on July 20.
"The central government had promised statehood before conducting elections; we are just making efforts for what was promised to us. They have not fulfilled their promises," an NC spokesperson said.
Notably, the leaders in the government believe that the party-run administration is a toothless tiger where much of the information is bypassed and does not go through the head of the government.
For the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, the issue has increasingly become a test of the Centre’s commitment to the assurances made after the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of the erstwhile state in 2019. Shah has repeatedly said that statehood would be restored at an “appropriate time”.
