Srinagar, July 16 -- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday welcomed the Opposition's strong pitch for the restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory, reiterating that the demand is neither new nor unjustified.

The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister was referring to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which the latter urged the government to bring forward legislation to grant full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Addressing the reporters, Abdullah said, "It's a good thing; we've been waiting for this day, the day when our voice will be raised strongly in Parliament and in Delhi from ...