Srinagar
National Conference vice-president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said autonomy was the “only practical solution to the decades-old problem” of J&K.

He also said the state administration had “lost its writ” over the situation as the level of violence had increased and the situation in the Valley “is turning grave day by day”.

“Every day we hear news about killings, encounters, crackdowns, CASOs across the state. South was already boiling but now even Srinagar is witnessing massive gunfights and crackdowns. It seems the government has lost its writ over the situation in Kashmir,” Omar said while addressing party functionaries at the NC headquarters here.

Omar, who served as Chief Minister from 2009 till 2014, said the restoration of autonomy the bedrock of his party’s politics afforded “a pragmatic way out”. “It is high time the Government of India implemented the resolution of autonomy,” he said. “The granting of autonomy is the only practical solution to the decades-old problem of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

“It is the only pragmatic solution to the age-old problem. Jammu and Kashmir is a unique state and needs special dispensation in terms of regional autonomy to satisfy the needs of the state,” Omar said. The NC vice-president said the people in the state were “suffering due to non-governance, development deficit and lack of accountability”. “The situation on the ground is a mess and the security scenario has deteriorated. The youth of Kashmir are at the receiving end of all this,” he said.