Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday called for an immediate halt to alleged harassment of Kashmir natives, whether students or traders, reported from across the country, asserting that continued victimisation of people from the Valley was unacceptable.
The issue of the alleged harassment of Kashmir-natives in different parts of the country was also raised in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly ahead of the Question Hour during the Budget Session, with Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejecting an adjournment motion moved by PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para seeking a discussion on the matter.
“This is not a good thing. I spoke on this issue at the North Zone Chief Ministers’ Conference. At that time, I requested all the chief ministers and the Union home minister to ensure the ongoing harassment of Kashmiris — whether students or traders — stops. I am grateful to the chief minister of Uttarakhand for taking timely action, with cases registered and arrests made,” Abdullah told reporters after the first sitting.
He expressed concern that harassment of Kashmir-natives was being reported from neighbouring Himachal Pradesh despite the Congress being in power there.
“Himachal is our neighboring state, and despite the fact that the Congress is in power there, people (Kashmiris) are being stopped, harassed, and beaten. I request the Himachal Pradesh chief minister to take immediate action on this and put a stop to this victimisation and harassment of Kashmiris,” Abdullah said.
Responding to a query on the row in the Lok Sabha on Monday over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to quote from what he claimed was the memoir of former Army chief M M Naravane, the Abdullah said “what happens in Parliament is Parliament’s matter”.
“It is the privilege of Parliament and the speaker to decide. Similarly, whatever we do in our assembly is our own matter. It would not be appropriate for our assembly to be discussed in Parliament, and likewise, I should not comment on what happened in Parliament,” he said.
On Jammu and Kashmir Congress’s suggestion to set up a coordination committee to strengthen the coalition, Abdullah said the question should be put to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah.
“I am the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir; I am not the president of the National Conference. You can meet the National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and ask him what the party’s stand is,” he told reporters.
Omar Abdullah welcomed the US government’s decision to bring down reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods, saying this would bring relief to many exporters in the country who were facing difficulties in view of the increased tariff.
US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that India and the US have agreed on a trade deal under which Washington will reduce the reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the current 25 per cent.
The announcement is crucial for India as the US imposed a steep 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods entering American markets from August 27, 2025.
“These tariffs were proving to be quite burdensome for us, and we also know very well why these tariffs were imposed. The United States was not happy with the fact that we buy oil from Russia. Trump announced that the Indian government has now stopped purchasing oil from Russia, and because of that, the tariffs will no longer be imposed on us,” the chief minister told reporters in the Assembly lawns here.
He said that if the Indian government had stopped buying oil from Russia, it might be a good development.
However, he wondered where the BJP-led government would obtain oil now that it is no longer sourcing from Russia, and whether purchasing from alternative sources would result in an increase in petrol and diesel prices in the country. “For that, we have to wait and see,” Abdullah said.
Regarding the reduction of tariffs, the chief minister mentioned, “It will benefit our exports, which is a good step, as many of our exporters were facing significant challenges. Some even felt they might have to shut down their businesses. Now that tariffs have been reduced, we hope that their businesses will begin to thrive again.”
