Omar Abdullah sharply reacts to Trump-Munir White House lunch: ‘They do not care for any other country'

Upset with US President Donald Trump hosting Pakistan Army chief Asif Munir for a White House lunch, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said that Washington can do anything to secure its interests and the US was a "friend" of other countries only till its benefits were served, reported PTI.
Speaking to reporters at the Srinagar Railway station, Omar Abdullah said, as quoted by PTI, 'The US President is a master of his own will. Can we tell him whom he should invite for meals and whom not? It is a separate issue that we used to think the US President was our very special friend, and he would respect our friendship. But obviously, America does what benefits it. They do not care for any other country.'
The chief minister and his father, Farooq Abdullah, travelled to Jammu on the recently launched Vande Bharat train.
On his train journey, he said, "Had it not been good, why would I have returned via train by train. The manner in which the people are trying to book trains for this train, and that the process of waiting list has started, we want the length (capacity) and the frequency of the train to be increased."
He added, "It has become a successful service in just a few days; we would want more people to benefit from it."
Commenting on the Iran-Israel conflict, Omar Abdullah said the war should stop and the issue resolved through dialogue.
"This bombing should not have started. Before this, when the American intelligence in-charge was asked if Iran had the nuclear bomb, he had said he did not think Iran could make a bomb for a long time. But Israel attacked Iran within a few months. This attack should stop and the issues resolved through talks," he said.
When asked about the local students studying in Iran, he said, "We cannot bring them back overnight, as airports and ports are closed. We are bringing them via road first to those cities where there is no bombing, then they are being brought back through Armenia. We are hopeful that today, 300-400 students are returning, a majority of whom are from J-K. We will bring them home safely."
Abdullah said the LG should approve the business rules that have been approved by the cabinet to end the confusion.
"I have never said LG has all the powers. You check the J-K Reservation Act. The LG has himself said that his responsibility is limited to only the security and law and order. That is why I am saying that the business rules approved by the cabinet should be signed and returned by the LG so that there is no confusion," he said.
"The LG has one responsibility: He should protect the people of J-K and improve the security scenario here … Rest of the responsibilities are ours," the CM added.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

India Gazette

12 minutes ago

• India Gazette

"Action was so swift that we cannot express our gratitude in words": Indian evacuee from Iran

New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): A fresh batch of Indian nationals evacuated from Iran landed safely in Delhi on Saturday under Operation Sindhu, as part of the Government of India's ongoing efforts to bring back its citizens from conflict-hit regions. The Indian Embassy in Tehran coordinated the safe movement of students, while the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ensured their safe return. An Indian national who was evacuated from Iran, Zaffar Abbas Naqvi, recounted how he and his family stayed indoors initially after hearing about the attack on Iran. They later moved to Mashhad, which also came under attack, prompting them to contact the Indian government. Naqvi praised the swift action taken by the government and thanked Prime Minister Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath for their support. 'Everything was going fine, but one day we heard that Iran had been attacked. We stayed indoors for some time. We then moved to Mashhad. Soon Mashhad came under attack. We then contacted the Indian government. The action was so swift that we cannot express our gratitude in words. I want to thank Modi ji and Yogi ji who made all the arrangements for us...,' said Naqvi. Kulsum, an Indian national evacuated from Iran, expressed relief at being back home safely, saying the situation in Iran was worrisome and the government's help was invaluable Speaking to ANI, Kulsum said, 'The situation in Iran is not good. We were very worried. The government helped us a lot and brought us back home safely.' Another Indian national who was evacuated from Mashhad, Mohammad Ali Qazim expressed gratitude towards the Indian government for their help in crossing the border and returning home safely. He mentioned that the situation in Iran, especially in Tehran, was not good. 'I am coming from Mashhad. It feels very good to return home... We had gone on a religious journey. The situation there is not good, especially in Tehran... Indian government helped us a lot in crossing the border and bringing us to India. The UP government is also helping us a lot by taking us back home...' he said. The operation continues to bring relief to families across India, with coordinated efforts from both the Central and State governments ensuring the safe return of citizens amid the ongoing tensions in the region. Earlier, chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Hindustan Zindabad' echoed through Delhi Airport late Friday night as a special flight carrying 290 Indian nationals evacuated from Iran under Operation Sindhu touched down. Emotional returnees, including students and religious pilgrims, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Indian government for ensuring their safe return amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. The special flight landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 11:30 PM IST on Friday night and was received by Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee. Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in a post on X, 'Operation Sindhu flight brings citizens home. Evacuated 290 Indian nationals from Iran, including students and religious pilgrims, by a charter flight. The flight arrived in New Delhi at 2330 hrs on 20 June and was received by Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Chatterjee.' He added, 'The Government of India is grateful to the Government of Iran for the facilitation of the evacuation process.' (ANI)

Mint

37 minutes ago

• Mint

Operation Sindhu in photos: Evacuation flights land in Delhi after Iran eases airspace

Operation Sindhu in photos: Evacuation flights land in Delhi after Iran eases airspace 7 Photos . Updated: 21 Jun 2025, 10:55 AM IST Share Via Hundreds of Indian evacuees from Iran arrived in New Delhi on two separate flights after Tehran reopened its airspace amid the ongoing conflict with Israel. 1/7Indian students who were evacuated from Mashhad, Iran, under the government's Operation Sindhu, were seen exiting Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday (PTI) 2/7Indian evacuees broke into chants of Bharat Mata ki Jai and Hindustan Zindabad upon landing at Delhi airport under Operation Sindhu. (PTI) 3/7An Indian student evacuated from Mashhad, Iran, under Operation Sindhu, becomes emotional upon reuniting with her family at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday, June 21, 2025. (PTI) 4/7An Indian student is seen reacting emotionally upon meeting a relative at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday, June 21, 2025. (PTI) 5/7Indian students evacuated from Iran reunite with their families at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Saturday, June 21, 2025. (PTI) 6/7An Indian student evacuated from Mashhad, Iran, receives a warm welcome upon arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday, June 21, 2025. (PTI)

India Today

38 minutes ago

• India Today

Iran-Israel conflict: How we got here and the Pakistan angle Ft. Sandeep Unnithan

The Middle East is on fire. Again. What began as Israel's retaliation against Hamas after the October 7 attacks has now exploded into a multi-front conflict involving Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Iran. In this episode of In Our Defence, veteran journalist and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan joins host Dev Goswami to break down how the war escalated so dramatical, and what it means for the region and the world. The two look at Iran's underestimated military, its dual-army structure, and the massive blow dealt to its leadership in just the first week of fighting. Why does Israel seem so unbending, even at the cost of global condemnation and regional chaos? And could any of this be happening without backing from the US? Dev and Sandeep also explore the philosophical irony behind Western nations - especially the US - dictating nuclear rules to countries like Iran, even as they maintain massive arsenals themselves. Is this another chapter in global double standards? And finally, the two unpack a surprising development: Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir's meeting with Donald Trump during his US visit. Could this signal a renewed American effort to position Pakistan as a behind-the-scenes player in the Israel-Iran war? Produced by Garvit Srivastava Sound mixed by Rohan Bharti