J&K people taken for granted : Omar

Srinagar (PTI): Cautioning against people of Jammu and Kashmir being "taken for granted", state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday asked the Centre to engage with them politically in a dialogue. "By design or by default we have given this impression to the people in the state that we only engage with them when there is trouble," he said, citing the instances of engaging with the separatists at the peak of militancy or with the general public in the aftermath of agitations in 2008 and 2010.

Omar believes that this "is a dangerous impression to give to people" and wants an engagement with them when "things are quiet". With elections to the state Assembly due before November 2014, the issues facing Omar include the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), incidents relating to militancy and the Centre's failure to engage in a political dialogue with the people of the state given the largely peaceful situation.

Omar said that ever since he had stepped into politics in 1998 he had only known coalition politics. He added that, he was facing the challenges of militancy even now. "There are still the effects of militancy that require to be dealt with so that is an area that poses challenges for us," he added.

To a question, whether he saw himself in the same job after elections next year. He said that this is not a question, I can't answer. Not because this is a hypothetical question but because I have learnt never to take the electorate for granted. You take the electorate for granted totally at your own peril.

"And if I tell you that I want myself to be in this chair after the next elections, it would be a huge injustice to the intelligence of the voters of Jammu and Kashmir to assume beforehand what they may or may not do while I would like myself to return to office, that decision is not mine. That decision is first and foremost the almighty and the voters of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and I will refer to their wisdom."