Omar Abdullah Birthday: All you need to know about the former J&K CM

Indian politician Omar Abdullah served as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, northwestern India, from 2009 to 2015.

Omar, whose mother was British, was born into a politically distinguished Kashmiri Muslim family on 10 March 1970.

His grandfather, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah (the "Lion of Kashmir"), founded the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) party and served as prime minister of Jammu and Kashmir (1948-53) and chief minister (1975-82).

Farooq Abdullah, Omar's father, was the state's chief minister three times between 1982 and 2002.

Youngest Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir

Omar became the 11th and the youngest Chief Minister of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, after forming a government in coalition with the Congress party, on 5 January 2009.

In 1998, at the age of 28, Omar Abdullah was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha, becoming the youngest member. In 1998–99, he was a member of both the Committee on Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism's Consultative Committee.

He was sworn in as Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry on October 13, 1999. He was appointed Union Minister of State for External Affairs on 22 July 2001, making him the youngest Union Minister. On December 23, 2002, he resigned from his position to focus on party work. 

Omar Abdullah met Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, one-on-one in Islamabad in March 2006, much to the consternation of the Centre. This was the first meeting of its kind between a mainstream Jammu and Kashmir politician and the Pakistani government, reinforcing Omar's growing commitment to resolving the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

After winning the most seats in the 2008 Kashmir elections, the National Conference formed a coalition government with the Congress party, and Omar was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on 5 January 2009 at the General Zoravar Singh Auditorium.

Omar Abdullah's detention

The Indian Government placed Omar Abdullah under preventive detention under Section 107 of the CRPC on the night of August 4 and 5, 2019. This occurred in the context of the government's decision to repeal Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.

Omar Abdullah was released from detention on March 24, 2020. Following his release, he demanded that other people detained be released as well.

Published on: Thursday, March 09, 2023, 04:52 PM IST