SRINAGAR, Oct 16: The Congress party announced on Wednesday that it will not join the newly formed Council of Ministers in the Jammu and Kashmir Government, citing dissatisfaction over the lack of restored statehood for the Union territory.

In a statement, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Tariq Hameed Karra emphasized the party’s strong demand for the restoration of statehood, highlighting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly promised this in public forums.

“We are unhappy that statehood has not been restored to J&K, and therefore, we are not joining the ministry at the moment,” Karra stated.

Despite this decision, Karra affirmed that the Congress party will continue its fight for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

On the same day, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, along with five ministers: Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary, and Satish Sharma, who also took their oaths of office.