Kashmiris unhappy as autonomy was whittled away: Omar Abdullah
Mumbai, Oct 27: The erosion of Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy, which was granted to the state at the time of its accession to the Indian Union, made its people angry, former chief minister Omar Abdullah said Saturday.
Speaking at an event organised by the United States Consulate here, Abdullah said the root of the Kashmir problem lay in its "troubled politics" and it could not be solved without a political engagement.
He said Jammu and Kashmir was different from other parts of the country and "we need to recognise that".
Abdullah said on August 14 and 15, 1947, not two but three nations emerged -- India, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir, whose ruler refused to merge with either India or Pakistan.
"Tribal invaders accompanied by regular Pakistani Army invaded a part of my state, continue to occupy it even today and perhaps in some way, Jammu and Kashmir's destiny was written there," the former chief minister said.
Stating that even after becoming part of India, the state "held on to its distinct identity", Abdullah said initially the Union was to be responsible only for currency, communication, defence and foreign affairs, and everything else was the domain of the state.
"I am not for a moment suggesting that was the perfect situation but that's what existed. Over time that situation has gradually been whittled over and eroded to a point where the autonomous Jammu and Kashmir that existed in 1947...is a pale shadow of what exists today," he said.
"Obviously people will get angry," he said.
At the same time, Abdullah also said the Centre alone could not be blamed for Kashmir's woes.
"State players, whether it is my party or other political parties, we have our own responsibilities as well which we can not shy away from," he said.
The Kashmir problem did not arise because of lack of development and jobs, but these factors only contributed to it, while "the cause lies in Jammu and Kashmir's troubled politics", Abdullah said.
"Unless we address the problem and engage with the state politically, this problem won't stop," he said.
"At best at the moment there are probably 500-600 militants. Not every young Kashmiri is carrying a gun today. Not every young Kashmiri is throwing stones today. But if you were to switch on TV at 9 pm for debates, that is all you will see....(the perception that) all Kashmiris are violent, anti-nationals and pro-Pakistanis. You push people to the walls (through such portrayal)," Abdullah said.
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LPG bookings close to normal, but situation continues to be worrisome
New Delhi (PTI): Bookings for domestic LPG refills are approaching pre-war normal levels, signalling a gradual return to normalcy, but concerns persist as supply restrictions on commercial consumers, including hotels, remain in place due to ongoing disruptions in input supplies caused by the West Asia conflict.
Over 33 crore domestic LPG consumers had, on average, booked about 55 lakh cylinders daily before the February 28 military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran. The escalation triggered sweeping retaliation from Tehran, effectively shutting the Strait of Hormuz - a critical shipping corridor used by major Gulf producers such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to export crude oil, gas and LPG to key markets including India.
The shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz blocked India's access to almost 60 per cent of its LPG, leading to curtailment of supplies to commercial users and triggering panic buying by domestic users, which peaked to 87.7 lakh on March 13.
Bookings have since fallen to 56-57 lakh on March 18, said Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
"Panic booking is coming down," she said, adding that the government continues to prioritise the supply of available LPG to domestic households.
However, "LPG (supply) situation remains worrisome but there is no dry out at any LPG distributor," she said.
Commercial users are getting just a fifth of their requirement.
Sharma said domestic LPG production has increased by over 40 per cent in the last two weeks and the three public sector oil marketing companies have been making normal, pre-war levels of daily deliveries of LPG refills.
"Our supply has not dipped. Some days the supply has been higher (than pre-war times). On March 18, 54.91 lakh LPG cylinders were delivered against a booking of over 56 lakh," she said.
Oil companies are operating extra shifts to keep LPG deliveries in pace with the bookings. They delivered 62.5 lakh cylinders on March 13 and 60 lakh on March 14 - the peak two days of panic bookings.
LPG supplies are under close monitoring amid the prevailing geopolitical tensions, with no dry-outs reported at distributorships and domestic cylinder deliveries continuing uninterrupted, she said.
Online bookings have risen sharply to 94 per cent, while Delivery Authentication Code (a unique OTP that is sent to registered mobile numbers of actual users to ensure LPG is being delivered to correct customers) coverage has expanded to 83 per cent.
In addition, customers near a city gas network are being encouraged to shift to piped natural gas - a convenient alternative to LPG as the fuel continuously travels through pipes to household kitchens without the botheration of refill bookings.
"In the last two weeks, 1.25 lakh new domestic, commercial and industrial connections have been issued," she said.
Raids and inspections to stop black marketing continue with seizure of cylinders as well as FIRs in several states.
The Union government on March 18 wrote to all state governments asking them to take all steps to prevent black marketing and hoarding while taking stringent actions against violators.
Besides, alternate fuels such as kerosene are being promoted, she said adding commercial LPG stocks have been placed with states for using them as per their priority list.
