Srinagar, Nov 5: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee paved the way for peace in Kashmir and if only his path was followed, J&K would have been in a better place today.

Speaking during the obituary references in the Assembly on Tuesday, Omar said he worked with Vajapyee for three years and emphasized that the former Prime Minister was remembered in Jammu and Kashmir for his efforts to improve the situation and foster a positive relationship with Pakistan.

“He was the first leader to go to Lahore by bus, and he even visited Minar-e-Pakistan. For an Indian leader, paying respects at Minar-e-Pakistan was no ordinary gesture,” said Omar. He added, “Standing at the border, he declared that while we could choose our friends, we could not change our neighbors. Today, such statements are rare.”

Omar highlighted Vajpayee’s strong advocacy for dialogue, stating that the former Prime Minister saw no alternative to engagement.

He praised Vajpayee’s vision, which centered on ‘Insaniyat’ (humanity), ‘Jamhuriyat’ (democracy), and ‘Kashmiriyat’ as the guiding principles to resolve the Kashmir issue.

“He attempted to open roads to reconnect divided families, but unfortunately, those links were later severed. Vajpayee sought to unite people and build personal relationships, but today, it feels like there is an effort to keep us apart. Had we stayed true to Vajpayee Sahib’s path, our situation would be different,” Omar said.

Reflecting on the autonomy resolution passed by the J&K Assembly in June 2000—which the Vajpayee government had rejected—Omar noted that Vajpayee later recognized this decision as hasty and appointed then-Law Minister Arun Jaitley to discuss the issue with the J&K government.

“Sadly, the government didn’t stay and the situation changed,” he said.

Earlier Communist leader M.Y. Tarigami also spoke in the House, lauding Vajpayee’s commitment to maintaining cordial relations with neighbours. He pointed out that Vajpayee had overruled opposition when he declared a ceasefire in J&K, although he regretted the rejection of the autonomy resolution.

Other Assembly members, including Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, Congress leader Nizam Bhat, NC leader Bashir Veeri, PDP leader Rafiq Naik and several others, also shared tributes during the session.

The Assembly paid respects to 57 former legislators and parliamentarians, including the late separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The former Hurriyat chief passed away at 92 after a prolonged illness on September 1, 2021. Geelani, served as an MLA from Sopore three times.

UNI