Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday announced a door-to-door signature campaign across Jammu and Kashmir for the restoration of statehood, stung by the Supreme Court’s remark that incidents like the Pahalgam attack must be considered while weighing the demand.

The signature campaign, which is to cover all 20 districts of the Union Territory, aims to persuade the apex court that the popular demand should not be viewed through the prism of security.

Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai’s recent remark that “you cannot ignore what has happened in Pahalgam” in response to a petition seeking statehood has triggered outrage in Jammu and Kashmir. The next hearing is after eight weeks.

Addressing an Independence Day event in Srinagar, the first by an elected government in the Union Territory, Omar said it was time to “step out of offices and raise our voice at the doors in Delhi where decisions are being made for us”.

He said letters, resolutions and meetings had been used earlier, and the next step would involve reaching every village of Jammu and Kashmir to garner support for the restoration of statehood.

“From today, I and my colleagues will not sit. We will not get tired. We will use these eight weeks to reach each of the 90 Assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, knocking on every door, and asking one question — Do you want Jammu and Kashmir back to statehood or not?” Omar said.

The chief minister said the signatures collected would be submitted both to the Centre and the Supreme Court.

Omar said he expected millions to support the demand. “If people refuse to sign, I will accept that Jammu and Kashmir is satisfied with the current situation,” he added.

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the Centre’s response to the statehood petition within eight weeks.

Omar said that linking the restoration of statehood with the Pahalgam terror attack was “unjust” and amounted to “punishing people for a crime they did not commit”.

He wondered whether statehood would be determined by external forces. “Will our neighbours or enemies determine when we can be a state?” he asked.

The chief minister said the people of Jammu and Kashmir were being unfairly linked to the Pahalgam massacre despite widespread condemnation across the region.

“From Kathua to Kupwara, there is no city, village or house where people did not say the attack was not in our name,” he said.

Omar said the people had pinned their hopes on the restoration of statehood on this Independence Day.

“Our friends and well-wishers have been telling me again and again that something will change this year,” he said.

“I was even told that the papers are being prepared. Now it’s just a matter of time. You wait. It’s done. We waited. It didn’t happen. The hope I had a few days ago may not be there today, but I will keep coming back to it.”

The Opposition skewered Omar for launching such “token gestures”.

“Omar Abdullah owes an apology, not a signature campaign for normalising 5th August. With 50 MLAs behind him, he has reduced the fight for J&K’s statehood to token gestures, after seeking votes door-to-door on the promise of restoring pre–5th August status. This is not just retreat, it is betrayal,” PDP MLA Waheed Parra said in a post on X.