On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday (September 17, 2026) expressed a wish of restoration of the Statehood status for the Union Territory (UT). 

“If nothing else, give us the Statehood of Jammu and Kashmir. What else do we need?” Mr. Abdullah said.

He reiterated that there were repeated promises to restore Statehood after the elections. “Nothing was put in writing. Assurances were given verbally, even in Parliament and the Supreme Court,” Mr. Abdullah added.

Meanwhile, the J&K CM backed the Centre’s move to charge UPI payments. “The charges would apply to businesses facilitating transactions rather than customers, and that the cost could not be passed on to customers,” he said.

He said transactions between individuals would not attract such a charge. “Merchant transactions below ₹2,000 would not carry merchant charges under the arrangement,” he added.