Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday hit out at the Central Government on defining a new domicile laws for J&K, saying “the laws offers none of the protections promised.”
Taking to Twitter, Abdullah also questioned the timingchosen by the government to come out with the law, given the alarming situationowing to Covid19 outbreak.
“Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts& attention should be focused on the #COVID outbreak the government slipsin a new domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when we see thelaw offers none of the protections that had been promised,” Omar tweeted.
Without naming any particular political party, Abdullah saidthe domicile law had forced even new political party “created by Delhi’sblessings” to criticise the move. “You can imagine how hollow the domicile lawis from the fact that even the new party created with Delhi’s blessings, whoseleaders were lobbying in Delhi for this law, have been forced to criticise the#JKdomicilelaw,” tweeted Omar.
Omar’s response came on a day when central governmentdefined the domicile laws for Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir which says aperson who has resided in Jammu and Kashmir for a period of 15 years or hasstudied for a period of seven years andappeared in Class 10th and 12th examination in a school within the region shallbe deemed to be the domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir now on. It also includes thechildren of the central government officials, who have served in Jammu andKashmir for a period of ten years.
In another tweet later in the day, Omar demanded the releaseof incarcerated political leaders. “If Govt of India has the time to issue adomicile law in the midst of this #COVID crisis why can’t they find the time torelease Mehbooba Mufti, Sagar Sahib & other leaders unjustly detained? Theyshould be released without further loss of time,” Omar wrote in his tweet.