Omar questioned the rationale behind an unstable coalition at a time when the state needed stability given the fact that temperatures were running high between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai terror strikes. “We cannot afford to have any experiments when expectations of the people in J&K are so high. We have to have a coalition government which can be stable, which consists of parties committed to a nationalistic outlook, not a regional outlook,” he told the The Indian Express in Delhi. He said the NC and the Congress were “uniquely placed” to form the next government as they would not have to depend on any Independents. “The moment Independents come, it becomes messy. It will be dangerous for Jammu & Kashmir. We need a stable government there.”

(with D K Singh, Delhi)