Pakistan by design, managed to internationalise question of Jammu and Kashmir, says Omar Abdullah

Omar Abdullah says that the Valley was a bustling place till a couple of weeks ago-Representative photo

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the Valley was in a place it did not expect to be.

Speaking to NDTV, he said the Pahalgam terror attack had  undone years of work both in terms of economy and diplomacy. "We are in a place where We didn't expect to be. We are in a place where there has been Bloodshed suffering. Turmoil upheaval... Everything has changed. And yet in some ways nothing has,” he said.

He explained that after the 22 April terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, hit the Valley’s footfall.

We should have been full with tourists, a booming economy, children should have been at school, airports should have been functioning with 50-60 flights a day,” Omar  told NDTV.

Currently,  the Valley is empty, schools have to be closed, the airport and airspace are closed. "Yet when I say nothing has changed -- Pakistan has, by design, unfortunately again, managed to internationalise the question of Jammu and Kashmir," he said. "The US, which seems to be keen to inject itself in the role of a moderator, interlocutor,"

According to  him, the ceasefire pact between the two nations is in  “tatters” .  "The ceasefire, which until the last few days had held in spite of whatever other difficulties exist in the relations between India and Pakistan -- today that ceasefire is in tatters,” he said.

Omar also said that the Valley was a bustling place till a couple of weeks ago.  "When we see just three weeks ago, it was a bustling place. Bahalga was full of tourists. And then that horrible massacre," he said.

After days of tensions between the two nations, India and Pakistan agreed to cease all hostilities in land, sea and air.

US President Donald Trump was the first to announce the ceasefire on social media, followed by a formal statement from Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Director General of Military Operations, DGMO of Army, Lieutenant General Rajiv Gha on Sunday  said strikes across nine terror hubs in Pakistan and PoJK under Operation Sindoor killed over 100 terrorists.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also chaired a high-level meeting at his residence on Sunday with the top defence officials.

The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, and the tri-services chiefs.

The meeting took place amid an uneasy calm on the borders with Pakistan, where no fresh ceasefire violations have been reported.

Silence prevailed in the night after Pakistan violated the ceasefire while expressing a commitment to adhere to it on Saturday.