Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed dismay and anguish over speculation in the media about his private life and the status of his marriage.
In a statement, Omar said, "I have noted with considerable dismay and anguish the growing tide of speculation in the media about my private life, particularly the status of my marriage.
"While it is true that my wife and I have separated, the speculation about motives and about my future course of action are unfounded, untrue and deeply hurtful to all concerned. The stories about my remarriage are completely false and concocted. It is a pity that while repeating these lies no effort was made to ask me whether any of this is true. In the process a lot of people have been hurt.
"The media in India has a well established, undeclared, code of conduct that keeps the private lives of public figures by and large private. I believe my family and I are entitled to that privacy. At this point my concern has to and will
The statement further said, "I am sure you will all appreciate that while my private life has gone through a period of unprecedented upheaval, I have not allowed it to affect my work in any way. It is with this in mind that I make a humble appeal to the media to please allow my family and me the space and privacy to deal with what we are going through.
"My family and I will not be issuing any more statements or taking any further questions about any of this and I hope the media will respect this decision."
The J&K CM had married Payal, daughter of Major General Ram Nath (retired), in 1994, four years before he formally joined politics.
