3 min readSrinagarUpdated: May 11, 2026 09:23 PM IST
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. Before leaving for the meeting, the chief minister said that issues concerning J&K such as the delay in approval of business rules, rationalisation of reservation, and the appointment of advocate general, were among the key concerns he would bring up with the Home Minister.
जम्मू-कश्मीर के मुख्यमंत्री श्री @OmarAbdullah ने आज केंद्रीय गृह एवं सहकारिता मंत्री श्री @AmitShah से भेंट की। pic.twitter.com/zYOAeZXw7z
— गृहमंत्री कार्यालय, HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 11, 2026
Regarding the possibility of a discussion on restoration of statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, which was declared a Union Territory in 2019, Omar said, “If it was possible in one meeting, we would have achieved that by now.”
The approval of the Transaction of Business Rules — which clarify the role, responsibilities and powers of the chief minister, cabinet ministers and officers in J&K vis-a-vis the Lieutenant Governor — has been pending in the UT since Omar took over as the chief minister. These rules are essential for ensuring the smooth functioning of the UT government with dual structures of power. The rules, as per government sources, had been finalised last year but are yet to be officially notified.
Besides, a major public demand in J&K has been the rationalisation of reservation, with general category students demanding a bigger share of opportunities. Omar said Monday that the reservation file, cleared by the J&K cabinet, has been referred to Delhi by the Lieutenant Governor, and that he would bring it up in the meeting with the Home Minister.
Similarly, the position of advocate general has been lying vacant in J&K ever since the elected government took over in October 2024. The last AG had been asked to continue in office by the NC government but he had submitted his resignation. The appointment has been delayed due to lack of clarity over who would appoint the UT’s next AG.
With regard to a recent order by the Centre granting the control of telecom to the LG’s office, Omar said, “This should be under his (LG Manoj Sinha’s) control in any case…This is in accordance with the J&K Reorganisation Act. Tapping phones or suspending internet services, these orders are issued under the Home Department and that is his domain.”
As long as the home department and law and order powers remain with the LG, Omar said, “these powers should remain with” LG sinha.