Swear on Quran, I did not: Omar Abdullah on BJP's charges of seeking alliance in 2024
Srinagar (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday refuted allegations made by the BJP that he sought an alliance with the ruling party at the Centre in 2024 for the restoration of statehood.
"I swear on the Holy Quran that I didn't seek an alliance with the BJP in 2024 for Statehood or for any other reason. Unlike Sunil Sharma, I don't tell lies for a living," Abdullah said in a post on X.
I swear on the Holy Quran that I didn’t seek an alliance with the BJP in 2024 for Statehood or for any other reason. Unlike Sunil Sharma I don’t tell lies for a living. https://t.co/qEMAcRvzCV
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 9, 2025
The chief minister was responding to claims made by the leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Sunil Sharma, who said that Abdullah approached the BJP in Delhi, willing to ally with them in exchange for statehood.
Sharma has earlier claimed that Abdullah had approached the BJP in 2014 as well to form an alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir after the polls had thrown up a hung verdict.
"In 2024, he again went to Delhi and offered to form the government with the BJP if the statehood was restored. His offer was rejected, and he was told that we have been given a mandate to sit in the opposition. You (Abdullah) should go to a mosque or a religious place, take the holy Quran in your hand and swear that you did not go to Delhi for government formation. He (Abdullah) won't do it ... But we are ready to say on oath wherever you want," Sharma told reporters after an election meeting in Budgam.
Abdullah has been steadily attacking the ruling party at the Centre in recent days, saying it was only his National Conference that was fighting the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier today, while addressing an election rally in support of BJP candidate Syed Mohsin in Budgam, Sharma had dared called on Abdullah to publicly affirm that there were no hidden agreements with Delhi.
Sharma claimed that after the 2014 assembly elections, Abdullah made attempts to ally with the BJP. "However, our leadership, guided by principles and national integrity, refused such opportunistic overtures," Sharma said.
Additionally, he accused the National Conference (NC) of resorting to deceit and double standards to obstruct the BJP's rise in Kashmir. "The NC is leaving no stone unturned to block the wave of change, but people have seen through their politics of hypocrisy," he added.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
