File counter affidavit, Omar tells Centre

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday hailed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s remark on Article 35-A and urged the Centre to file a counter affidavit in the Supreme Court in the connection. Taking to Twitter, Omar Abdullah said, “This is a very important statement from the Union Home Minister. His assurance will go a long way towards silencing the noises against 35A.” Omar further urged that the Union government must now file a “counter affidavit” in the Supreme Court to defend 35-A. “That is the way to carry this assurance forward,” he tweeted. Earlier on August 23, Awami National Conference of Jammu & Kashmir chief Muzaffar Shah had said that the Supreme Court has no powers to fiddle with Article 35 A or Article 370.

Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers’ Party (JKNPP) on Monday asked Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to pass an order for a time-bound deportation of illegally settled Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslims from the Jammu region. The Home Minister, who is here on the second leg of his four-day visit of the state, has expressed willingness to meet anyone who wants to help resolve the problems of Kashmir. "Home Minister should direct the state government to evict Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslims, who have been living in various districts of Jammu province illegally, in a time- bound manner," Chairman of JKNPP Harsh Dev Singh told, reports PTI.

Singh led a group of party workers to Exhibition ground where they staged a demonstration in support of the demand for immediate deportation of the illegally settled Muslim immigrants and also set ablaze an effigy of the BJP.

The protesters were carrying placards and raised slogans to press for early deportation of Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslims. Accusing the state government of using dilly dallying tactics, Singh said the Home Minister should pay attention to the presence of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals in the Jammu region and ensure their early eviction.

"The anger against immigrants among the people of Jammu is growing with each

passing day and the government should act against them without wasting further time," he said, adding that the government is only making statements and doing nothing in reality.