NC, PDP protest dilution of Article

SRINAGAR : The National Conference (NC) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday protested any alteration to the Article 35A of the Indian Constitution which guarantees special privileges to the state.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has asked the Supreme Court to defer the August 6 hearing on a bunch of petitions for quashing Article 35A of the Constitution citing upcoming panchayat and urban local body elections. The article empowers the state’s legislature to define “permanent residents” of Jammu and Kashmir and provide special rights and privileges to them.

Many NC leaders and activists marched from party office Nawaisubh to Sher e Kashmir Park in Srinagar.

Senior NC leader and MLA Khanyar Ali Mohammad Sagar said that there were conspiracies against the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and blamed them on people affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“We are protesting and want to send a message to not tinker with the Article 35A or Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. People of Jammu and Kashmir are united irrespective of their political affiliations; people from every region have come together to defend these articles of the constitution.

“The leaders in Delhi should take note and there should be no action against the wishes and aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir, otherwise the situation

MANY NC LEADERS AND ACTIVISTS MARCHED FROM PARTY OFFICE NAWAISUBH TO SHERE KASHMIR PARK IN SRINAGAR

will worsen here,” he said.

Members of PDP demanded that all cases registered against Article 35A be dismissed.

“Our leader Mehbooba Mufti has made it clear that any tinkering with Articles 370 and Article 35A will create big issues in Jammu and Kashmir.

“People here won’t tolerate any change to special status. We stand to protect state’s special position in every situation,” PDP’S district president in Srinagar and MLC Mohammad Khurshid Alam said.

While Article 370 of the Constitution grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Article 35A disallows people from the rest of India from buying or owning immovable property in the state, settle permanently or get state government jobs.

MINORITY COMMUNITY ALSO BACKS ARTICLE

Separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) have called for a shutdown on Sunday and Monday across the state and blamed BJP and RSS for attempt to “change the demography” of the state.

Minority community of the state has also come out in support of the special status.