Srinagar: The Chief Minister of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Omar Abdullah, has said that his administration's functioning is being severely undermined by New Delhi's control over key governance and administrative powers, leaving the elected government with little authority in the occupied territory.

In an interview with the Hindustan Times, Omar Abdullah decried what he termed a 'lopsided distribution of powers' between the elected government and the office of the Lieutenant Governor, remarking that when a government cannot even choose its own officers, 'it's not a pretty picture.'

He said the Raj Bhawan's hold over appointments, transfers, and disciplinary matters of IAS, IPS, and JKAS officers has crippled governance and eroded the authority of the elected administration.

The National Conference leader further pointed out that officers have been arbitrarily transferred to Ladakh 'as punishment' for following the elected government's directives, adding that even his own office was threatened with such actions. He also criticised the manipulation of administrative structures to keep vital departments such as the Information Department out of the purview of the elected dispensation.