Srinagar: At the close of a heated two-day political debate in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that if former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s roadmap had been followed, the state would not have been reduced to a Union Territory, media reports said.

Reflecting during obituary references, Abdullah recalled that in 2000, when the J&K assembly passed a resolution for greater autonomy, Vajpayee, despite initially rejecting it, recognized the need for dialogue and designated his law minister to discuss the issue with the state government, according to an NDTV report.

Abdullah noted that dialogue was cut short by Vajpayee’s passing.

He credited Vajpayee for connecting the people of divided J&K by opening cross-border roads to foster personal relationships, a path Abdullah lamented has been abandoned.

"If Vajpayee’s roadmap on J&K had been implemented and followed, we wouldn’t be where we are now,” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Abdullah praised Vajpayee as a visionary leader, recalling his bold initiatives, including the Lahore bus journey and his call for “Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat, and Kashmiriyat” — a slogan he believes remains unparalleled in its vision and statesmanship.