Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday strongly condemned the ongoing conflict involving Iran, terming it an “unjust and illegal war,” and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene diplomatically in the larger interest of humanity to restore peace.
The remarks, made on the floor of the Legislative Assembly amid a charged exchange between treasury and opposition benches, brought international developments into the state’s political discourse, even as BJP legislators questioned the relevance of debating a global crisis within the House.
“On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I strongly condemn this unjust and illegal war imposed on Iran. I express my deepest condolences over the loss of Ali Khamenei, his associates, and all those who have lost their lives in this conflict,” the chief minister said.
“I also make a sincere appeal to our prime minister to use all available diplomatic channels and relationships to help end this war at the earliest. This will benefit not just us, but humanity as a whole,” Omar said.
“The House is not united on this issue; there is no single opinion. If you wish, a discussion can be held so that differing views may be expressed. If I speak on behalf of the demand and opposition emerges afterwards, it would not be appropriate,” Omar said initially, asking the Speaker to decide how to proceed.
After hearing the opinions of several members from both benches, Rather requested the chief minister to make a statement in the House, pointing out that Parliament has done so as well.
Omar said, “I don’t think anyone can stand here and support the manner in which an unjust and illegal war has been imposed on Iran. No amount of condemnation would be sufficient to convey how humanity has been crushed, and the brutal way in which Iran’s Supreme Leader, his close associates, and relatives were killed.”
Stating that a school was bombed, killing scores of female students, Omar said it is difficult to recall such a horrifying incident in the recent past.
“And what is the objective? Even now, it is not clear. If you listen to the statements coming from the United States, it seems even they are unsure. In the morning, they speak of regime change; in the afternoon, of security concerns; and by evening, they talk of oil prices. Perhaps they themselves do not know why the people of Iran have been made to suffer for the last three weeks,” he said.
The chief minister said BJP members are of the view that the House should not discuss matters that do not directly affect the region. “How can they say this does not affect us? Many of our citizens are in Iran, so it directly affects us.”
“It is true we cannot stop the war by merely sitting here,” he said, reminding MLAs that the Central government has repeatedly claimed it has strong relations with many countries.
“Our relations with America and Israel are good. With Iran, too, we have historically been strong. I have personally witnessed this when I served as Minister of State for External Affairs under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. India also maintains good ties with Iran’s neighbouring countries,” he said.
“Therefore, there should be no objection if this House collectively appeals to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use his office and personal diplomatic relations to help bring this war to an end as soon as possible, so that the suffering of the people there may end and Iran may once again engage peacefully with the world,” Omar added.