Omar Abdullah slams Centre over new domicile rules for J&K

Srinagar: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday lashed out at the Centre over new domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was an insult to injury of the people as there were none of the promised protections.

“Talk about suspect timing. At a time when all our efforts & attention should be focused on the COVID outbreak the government slips in a new domicile law for J&K. Insult is heaped on injury when we see the law offers none of the protections that had been promised,” Omar said in a series of tweets.

The former chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir said the new law was so hollow that even politicians with “Delhi”s blessings” were forced to criticise it.

“You can imagine how hollow the domicile law is from the fact that even the new party created with Delhi”s blessings, whose leaders were lobbying in Delhi for this law, have been forced to criticise the JK domicile law,” he added.

Omar was apparently referring to the criticism of the domicile law by Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party founder Altaf Bukhari.

The government on Wednesday issued a gazette notification announcing a slew of amendments to 138 Acts of Jammu and Kashmir that included protecting jobs up to Group-4 for only those who are domicile of the union territory.

The notification said among the laws amended is the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment) Act.

PTI