Abdullah reassured the people of his government’s dedication to serving their interests and achieving the vision of those who sacrificed their lives for the region.
He emphasised that honouring the legacy of martyrs means fulfilling their aspirations, including restoring statehood, recovering Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and constitutional protections, and ushering in a new era of development.
“To honour that martyrdom, we will realise the dreams they left us as their legacy – whether it is getting back the special status, restoring constitutional guarantees for Jammu and Kashmir, regaining statehood, or leading a new era of progress,” he added.
The chief minister termed democracy and federalism as the two greatest pillars of the nation.
“Our country is a union of states. To save and strengthen federalism, we must start with Jammu and Kashmir. Whatever was snatched from us should be returned so that our identity does not just remain in words, but is put into practice,” he added.
Touching upon centralised governance models, Abdullah cautioned that federalism suffers when central agencies erode the autonomy of states and cited centralised entrance examinations like NEET and JEE, arguing that while central tests are justified for national institutions like IITs and IIMs, state-run educational institutions should retain the right to conduct their own admissions.
“When the powers of states are hollowed out, the fallout is seen on the streets,” he said, linking recent public unrest and student protests in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir to systemic overreach.
Promising transparent, merit-based recruitment and responsive governance, the chief minister assured the public that his administration is committed to fulfilling their aspirations, and guiding the youth “from darkness to light”.