Jammu & Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah is guest at Adda today
With police not under the elected government, and Raj (Lok) Bhawan vested with significant powers including even transfer and postings of IAS officers, the Chief Minister is faced with administrative limitations on one side and huge public expectation on the other.
Srinagar | Updated: December 17, 2025 05:11 PM IST
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A little over a year ago, when Omar Abdullah took over as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, he knew he was wearing a crown of thorns. But with a massive mandate behind him and buoyed by a hope that statehood would return to the Union Territory, Omar took charge and attempted to steer Kashmir through its layered political challenges and developmental aspirations.
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A year on, however, his optimism is tempered by reality — he has admitted that the challenges in J&K, especially in a dual power structure, turned out to be far more complex and demanding than probably what he anticipated.
With police not under the elected government, and Raj (Lok) Bhawan vested with significant powers including even transfer and postings of IAS officers, the Chief Minister is faced with administrative limitations on one side and huge public expectation on the other.
Omar Abdullah will be our guest at the Express Adda on Wednesday in New Delhi. The session will be moderated by Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express.
A political scion and a third generation political leader of the Abdullah family that has governed Kashmir for most part, Omar has worn many caps — he has been the youngest parliament member at that time, a union minister, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Leader of Opposition and president of the National Conference.
A graduate in hotel management, he started his political career at a young age. At 28, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Srinagar parliamentary constituency becoming the youngest parliamentarian at that time. A year later, he was made the Minister of State (MoS) for Commerce and Industry and then MoS External Affairs in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led government.
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In 2002, Omar resigned to focus on local politics. Back in Jammu and Kashmir, he was appointed as the President of the National Conference replacing his father Farooq Abdullah. He was the Chief Minister of the J&K state between 2009 and 2014. Besides being the CM of the Union Territory of J&K currently, he is the vice president of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, with his father Farooq Abdullah being the President of the party.
In 2008, he was sworn in as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time. After his term ended, he was elected as the Leader of Opposition (LOP) during the PDP-BJP coalition government before the saffron party walked out of the alliance in 2018.
Sworn in as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir for the second time last year, Omar Abdullah has found his return to office more challenging this time largely because of an altered political and geographical landscape of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir which enjoyed a special status in the union of India has been stripped of its special status and the erstwhile state has been reorganised and downgraded into two union territories.
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter.
Expertise and Experience
Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development.
Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor.
Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans:
Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance.
Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population.
Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley.
Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More
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