The two letters, dispatched on a Thursday after the resolution was introduced, urged the Secretariat to refrain from considering the statehood motion, labeling it "sub judice." They cited procedural improprieties and the delicate legal status of the territory, stressing that any debate could be deemed premature.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather slammed the move as an unprecedented breach of parliamentary norms, calling it an attempt to "undermine the House". He warned that the Assembly would not entertain any business influenced by unapproved bureaucratic correspondence.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the Law portfolio, denied any prior knowledge of the letters, claiming he was only informed by the Secretariat after the fact. He reiterated that the restoration of statehood is a right, not a privilege, and that the letters reflect a wider pattern of administrative interference following the revocation of J&K's special status.
The Assembly is scheduled to vote on the statehood resolution next week. If the motion is rejected, it could trigger a legal challenge in the Supreme Court, while political parties are already mobilizing support for a renewed debate on the territory's status.