Omar Abdullah Criticizes J&K Administration for Barring Leaders from Condolence Visit

Srinagar 18 September :- Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, has strongly criticized the Lieutenant Governor’s administration for allegedly preventing leaders Mehbooba Mufti (PDP) and Sajad Lone (Peoples Conference) from visiting the family of the late former Hurriyat chairman, Abdul Gani Bhat, in Sopore to offer condolences.

Omar Abdullah, speaking to reporters in Gulmarg, questioned the rationale, stating that such a visit to express sympathy would not have “created a storm” and that the action contradicts official claims of normalcy in the region. He argued that this lack of trust is “not a right thing for Jammu and Kashmir.

In a separate but related critique of the administration’s policies, Abdullah also labeled the continued closure of several tourist destinations since the April Pahalgam attack as “strange,” asserting that the government’s tourism promotion efforts are futile if key sites remain shut. He called for these destinations to be gradually reopened, warning that the government must either open them or halt its promotional campaigns altogether.