Omar Abdullah is a young political leader of Jammu and Kashmir. His father Farooq Abdullah and his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah were Chief Minister of the state.
In 1998, Omar was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha. He became a Member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism. He was also a member of the Consultative Committee of Ministry of Tourism.
He again entered the Lok Sabha in 1999 and was included in the Union Cabinet. He became the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry. Omar was a part of the team responsible for the successful marketing of India Inc. as a destination for investment. Later he was made the Union Minister of State for External Affairs. Omar resigned from the Union Ministry when the State Assembly polls of Jammu and Kashmir took place. Farooq appointed his son Omar as his political heir. But in the Assembly elections of 2002, National Conference was defeated and Omar’s dream of becoming the Chief Minister was not fulfilled.