Omar Abdullah took oath as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister on Wednesday.
Barely 4 months after he misplaced the Lok Sabha elections from the Srinagar seat, there was a swift turnaround in Omar Abdullah’s political fortune. The 55-year-old, who received from each Budgam and Ganderbal, right now took oath because the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister after the National Conference and Congress alliance received 48 out of 90 seats in not too long ago concluded meeting polls. He is the primary chief to take cost after Article 370, which granted particular standing to J&Ok, was scrapped by the central authorities in 2019. It is Mr Abdullah’s second time period because the Chief Minister. He beforehand served because the Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014.
Early Life And Education
Omar Abdullah was born on March 10, 1970, in Rochford, Essex, United Kingdom. He is the grandson of Sheikh Abdullah and the son of Farooq Abdullah. The two senior Abdullahs additionally served as Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir. His mom, Mollie Abdullah, was an English nurse.
Omar Abdullah accomplished his schooling on the Burn Hall School in Srinagar and Lawrence School in Sanawar. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce diploma from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. Before his foray into politics, he labored with ITC Limited and The Oberoi Group. He enrolled in an MBA program on the University of Strathclyde however dropped out after his win within the 1998 Lok Sabha election.
Political profession
Omar Abdullah comes from a household with a wealthy legacy in politics. In 1998 Lok Sabha election, his debut, Mr Adbulllah, all of 28, turned the youngest member of parliament on the time. He was concerned in committees regarding transport and tourism. He was additionally part of the Ministry of Tourism’s Consultative Committee. His political profession flourished as he was re-elected to the thirteenth Lok Sabha in 1999 and appointed because the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry on October 13, 1999.
In July 2001, he turned the youngest Union Minister of State for External Affairs in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s NDA authorities. However, he resigned in December 2002 to concentrate on social gathering actions.
He confronted a setback within the 2002 state meeting elections the place he misplaced his seat in Ganderbal. In March 2006, a lot to the chagrin of the then central authorities, Mr Abdullah met with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to debate the Jammu and Kashmir problem. He turned solely the second member of his household to go to Pakistan. His grandfather Sheikh Abdullah additionally visited the neighbouring nation within the Nineteen Sixties.
READ | Omar Abdullah’s Key Ask After J&Ok Win
Chief Minister Of J&Ok
On January 5, 2009, Omar Abdullah was sworn in because the eleventh Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, main a coalition authorities with the Congress social gathering. He succeeded Ghulam Nabi Azad and have become the youngest Chief Minister of the state at age 38.
Post Chief Ministerial Career
After dropping the 2014 meeting elections, Omar Abdullah continued to play an energetic function in politics. He has been a vocal critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led authorities’s insurance policies, notably concerning Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Abdullah was the final chief of the opposition within the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly earlier than the meeting was dissolved in 2018.
Read | Omar Abdullah’s Fight From Ganderbal Is No Cakewalk
Challenges And Controversies
Omar Abdullah confronted vital challenges throughout his tenure.
- Amarnath land row (2008): In 2008, Omar Abdullah threatened to resign as a Member of Parliament as a result of extreme use of pressure by safety forces towards protesters in Kashmir. His anger stemmed from the federal government’s dealing with of the Amarnath land switch problem and the following financial blockade imposed by protestors in Jammu. Mr Abdullah stated on the time that if his issues weren’t addressed by the federal government, he would don’t have any selection however to resign.
- Shopian rape and homicide case (2009): Omar Abdullah confronted backlash following the rape and homicide of two girls in Shopian. Initially, he supported the police’s declare that the deaths have been unintentional drownings, inflicting public outrage. Although the police later retracted their assertion, Mr Abdullah maintained his place, calling for a judicial inquiry whereas downplaying allegations of foul play. The victims’ households accused safety forces of kidnapping, raping and killing the ladies. The opposition, notably the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), criticised Omar Abdullah for prematurely concluding the investigation.
- Kashmir unrest (2010): The Omar Abdullah authorities confronted criticism for its dealing with of the unrest, which killed over 100 protesters.
- Hanging of Afzal Guru (2013): On February 9, 2013, Mohammad Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri separatist, was hanged to dying at Tihar Jail in New Delhi for his function within the 2001 Indian Parliament assault. Omar Abdullah, the then Chief Minister, confronted the blowback, which got here within the type of extreme protests and debates.
- Public Safety Act (2020): Omar Abdullah was detained below the Public Safety Act (PSA) on February 7, 2020, amid the lockdown imposed after the abrogation of Article 370. He was launched in March of the identical 12 months.