News Analysis India

Tag: Article 370

  • Centre’s action of revoking Article 370 only complicated J&K dispute further: Hurriyat

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: The government’s “unilateral” and “arbitrary” decision to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir’s special status only further complicated the “dispute” in the erstwhile state, the Hurriyat Conference said Thursday on the second anniversary of the revocation of Article 370.

    The separatist amalgam said in a statement, “On this occasion, would also like to draw attention of the citizens of India and the world at large, that the present Indian Government’s actions of August 5, 2019 has only complicated the dispute further over the state of J&K.”

    “This is illustrated by the fact that it ignited the flames along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) even as some measure of calm has been introduced along the Line of Control,” it said, alluding to the standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.

    It reiterated its strong resentment and opposition to the “unilateral and arbitrary actions” related to Articles 370 and 35-A.

    ALSO READ | No other choice but to resist to exist: Mehbooba Mufti on anniversary of abrogation of Article 370

    New Delhi would argue, the Hurriyat said, that before August 2019 “Kashmir was the main trouble spot in the state, today it is faced with four trouble spots of Leh, Kargil and Jammu as there is disaffection in these regions too”.

    It alleged the government continues to “assault” the locals by incarcerating political prisoners and youths and “intimidating” them by arrests and bringing in arbitrary and anti-people laws.

    “Going forward, Hurriyat is convinced that the Government of India must accept the need to address the Kashmir dispute, engage with those who truly represent the political will and aspirations of its people, and defuse the building geopolitical pressures in the region along its northern and western borders,” it said.

    It also urged the government to resume engagement with Pakistan.

    The Hurriyat said it has had a long-standing policy of engagement in meaningful dialogue among all the stakeholders that sees the situation on the ground for what it is, and encourages dialogue rather than armed confrontation.

    “Hurriyat is cognisant that although we cannot match the muscle of status quo powers, our political education in the last thirty years has been significant and we appreciate all platforms that give us a voice. These platforms must be created and we should be allowed to participate in them – not only to allow our voice as peoples representatives be heard, but because it is just.”

    “It is time that the conflict over the state of J&K is resolved so that not just Kashmir, but all of South Asia can look forward to living up to its collective potential,” it added.

  • No other choice but to resist to exist: Mehbooba Mufti on anniversary of abrogation of Article 370

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: On the second anniversary of the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said people had no choice but to “resist to exist” when “gross injustice” is heaped on them.

    “No words or pictures are enough to depict the pain, torment & upheaval inflicted upon J&K on this black day two years ago. When unbridled oppression is unleashed & gross injustice heaped there is no other choice but to resist to exist,” the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said in a tweet.

    The Centre on August 5, 2019 revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories.

    ALSO READ | Abrogation of Article 370 bought unprecedented peace, progress in J-K: PM Modi

    Mufti and her PDP have been very vocal in their opposition to the Centre’s move two years ago.

    Other mainstream political parties also have taken a public stand against the revocation of the special status but have given more importance to restoration of statehood.

    “August 5 will always be a negative milestone in the history of J&K. It was a political and psychological setback for the people of J&K,” Khursheed Alam of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference said.

  • Two years of Art 370 abrogation: Parties vow to continue struggle for restoration of J&K’s special status

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: The PDP, Congress, People’s Conference, and Apni Party on Wednesday questioned the BJP government on the achievements it made since revoking Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir as they vowed to continue their struggle to get the erstwhile state’s special status restored.

    The National Conference, however, targeted Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari, who has announced to launch an agitation for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, as a “frenzied attempt” to keep himself and his party relevant.

    On August 4, the parties asked if the BJP government had managed to eradicate militancy, create jobs or rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits in the valley.

    President of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti termed August 5 as a “black day” in the constitutional and democratic history of the country, saying the “draconian steps” taken in 2019 have not only “betrayed” the trust of the people, but also complicated the issue of the erstwhile state further.

    In a statement issued here, Mufti said August 5 has become a reminder of the “subversion of the democratic and the constitutional system of the country and how the trust of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and all the democrats of the country was betrayed”.

    Mufti said Jammu and Kashmir has to become a bridge of friendship rather than a bone of contention between India and Pakistan and the PDP will continue to strive to see this happen.

    Reiterating that the party would continue to struggle and strive for the restoration of the rights and identity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti said no amount of “coercion” would dissuade the party from advocating its core agenda of peace with dignity through dialogue and reconciliation.

    She said two years after the Constitutional provisions were revoked, none of the stated goals of the government “that were used to camouflage the betrayal” of bringing Kashmir closer to India, ending militancy, bringing development to the state, have been achieved.

    Corroborating her views, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma asked whether the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status has ended militancy.

    “There were around 70 active militants in 2014, while the number is over 200 today, despite the elimination of hundreds of terrorists since then,” the Congress leader said.

    Sharma also asked how many jobs were provided in the government sector in two years as the then governor S P Malik had made an announcement of providing 50,000 jobs in three months.

    He said the demand for restoration of statehood with the protection of genuine rights to land and jobs remained high on the Congress’s agenda along with that of holding early assembly elections to provide an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir.

    The People’s Conference said August 5 will perpetually be remembered as a “dark day” and “a day of disempowerment” in the history of the erstwhile state.

    Party spokesperson Adnan Ashraf Mir said the decisions taken on August 5, 2019 are spiteful and contrary to the ideals and values of a democracy and the federal character of the Indian State.

    The People’s Conference (PC), he said, is committed to continue its principled struggle for the rights and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and that it will pursue this agenda through democratic and legal means.

    Highlighting that the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A has incremented the trust deficit among the people, Bukhari said he strongly hopes and believes that the Supreme Court will restore the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

    Bukhari said if the apex court’s verdict disregards the peoples’ aspirations, the Apni Party “will have no choice but to chalk out other peaceful means to pursue this goal with New Delhi”.

    “We believe that the solution to the socio-economic and political problems faced by the people in J-K lies with New Delhi, so it will be unwise to disengage or dissociate ourselves from pursuing the redressal,” he said.

    The Apni Party chief had on Tuesday vowed to launch a peaceful struggle for the restoration of Article 370 of the Constitution if the apex court did not restore it.

    Taking a swipe at Bukhari, NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said in a statement: “The remarks are a failed attempt to save his credibility on ground.

    The radical changes in the views of Bukhari are well expected in view of people’s immense support for the efforts of Farooq Abdullah for the restoration of J&K’s constitutional status.

    “His politics follows a simplistic maxim; it is to be on the good side of the BJP. But it has not fared well with the people. This recent statement of his should be seen as a last-ditch effort to save some credibility, if any at all,” he said.

    Bukhari, however, blamed traditional political parties for their policies of deceit and intrigue, saying it is not the BJP alone, but other political parties who have been pivotal in doing away with the special status of J&K.

    “History bears witness to the facts that how J-K’s political parties have played a collaborators’ role in eroding Articles 370 and 35-A from time to time for their lust of power,” he said.

    “Now, they are shedding crocodile tears and sermonising on the subject. It’s a shame for them. They should rather confess and apologise to the people for their criminal silence,” he added.

  • Aug 5 to be remembered as ‘day of disempowerment’ in Jammu and Kashmir’s history: People’s Conference

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: On the eve of the second anniversary of revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, the People’s Conference on Wednesday said August 5 will perpetually be remembered as a “dark day” and “a day of disempowerment” in the history of the erstwhile state.

    “August 5th is seen as a day of disempowerment, a reminder of the humiliation that the people of Jammu and Kashmir were subjected to,” party spokesperson Adnan Ashraf Mir said in a statement here.

    He said the decisions taken on August 5, 2019 are spiteful and contrary to the ideals and values of a democracy and the federal character of the Indian State.

    “These decisions contravene the very ideas of justice and dignity that form the core of the political system and constitutional philosophy of the Republic of India,” Mir said.

    The party led by Sajjad Lone stated that the decisions of August 5, 2019 have dealt a severe blow to the collective sentiment of the people who championed the cause of Indian democracy, and those who upheld the electoral system through participation got the worst treatment despite their sacrifice for democracy in J-K.

    “By revoking Article 370 of the constitution and downgrading J-K into a Union territory, the government of the day has inflicted irreversible humiliation to the advocates of mainstream in J-K and pushed them against the wall,” Mir alleged.

    The People’s Conference (PC), he said, is committed to continue its principled struggle for the rights and dignity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and that it will pursue this agenda through democratic and legal means.

  • I was deeply jaded but politicians can’t mourn for long: Omar Abdullah on Article 370 abrogation

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Two years after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was abrogated and he was detained for 234 days, National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday that after initially being “deeply jaded” he had realised that as a politician he didn’t have the right to “mourn” for long and could not let down the people struggling for their basic constitutional rights.

    On the eve of the second anniversary of the nullification of Article 370 of the Constitution, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state which has been bifurcated into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, said that what had been done on August 5 had come as a shock to most people who were affected by the “sudden, unexpected and unconstitutional blow”.

    Abdullah, who spent seven months in detention which was challenged in the Supreme Court, recalled, “I was a deeply jaded and disappointed individual. I found it difficult to motivate myself even to indulge in basic political activities possible in the prevailing situation. But as the saying goes ‘if you want the rainbow, you have got to put up with rain’. So here I am doing the best I can for the people.”

    He said that the workers and leaders of the National Conference had made immense sacrifices for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “Hundreds of our workers and several of our leaders have fallen to the bullets of militants. I thought of all this when a certain light inside me was getting dimmer during my solitary confinement. I realised I could not just walk away,” he told PTI.

    There is no doubt in Abdullah’s mind that the abrogation of Article 370 was unconstitutional which had been challenged as such on behalf of his party in the Supreme Court. “I have hope and faith in the Supreme Court which had said that they could turn the clock back if merited. I am sure that someday justice will be done to the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh,” the NC vice president said.

    Answering a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with mainstream leaders of Jammu and Kashmir on June 24, Abdullah said that the initiative needs to be followed up on the ground to produce meaningful results.

    “The prime minister candidly spoke of reducing the “doori” (distance), both physical and mental, between Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. We now await the start of the follow-up to that meeting,” he said.

    “There is so much talk of development, development. We would welcome that if it really happened. The administration needs to go beyond inaugurating projects for which work had begun during the time of elected governments,” the NC leader said.

    About the claims of substantial improvement in the law and order situation, he said, “You cannot gag the people and then claim all is well. In the last two years people are not allowed to do even peaceful protests. The due process of law is ignored. On the one hand a rosy picture of the situation is painted and on the other hand the Centre tells Parliament that statehood will be restored when the situation normalises.”

    In any case, the people cannot any longer continue to be deprived of an elected government through free and fair elections in a full-fledged state, Abdullah emphasised. Both restoration of statehood and holding of early elections have been promised at the highest levels by the Centre.

    “That should be the order — restoration of full, undiluted statehood, followed by Assembly elections. There is no better way to reduce, to a large extent, the trust deficit to which the prime minister obliquely referred,” he said.

    Abdullah was categorical that he would not be contesting elections for the foreseeable future but made it clear, “I will continue to be with our people and serve them even if I am not in the Assembly.”

  • Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be granted after normalcy is restored: Rajya Sabha told

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir would be granted statehood at an “appropriate” time after normalcy is restored there, the government told Parliament on Wednesday.

    Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai stated this in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

    He was replying to a question on whether the government had any proposal to “reinstate” the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir and whether some efforts have been made to end the year-long ban on different means of communication.

    “Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be granted at an appropriate time after normalcy is restored in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

    “In view of the constitutional changes and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of the Jammu and Kashmir into Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union territory of Ladakh, in national interest and also in the interest of security of J&K, temporary restrictions on various communication channels like internet and mobile services were resorted to in Jammu and Kashmir,” the minister stated.

    Subsequently, the matter “was reviewed from time to time and restrictions imposed were gradually eased out in a phased manner and 4G internet data services were restored in the entire Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir from February 5, he said.

    The Centre had revoked the special status of the erstwhile state that was provided to it under Article 370 and bifurcated it into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in 2019.

  • Culprits behind terror, intimidation machinery in Kashmir arrested: Police

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: In a major breakthrough, police on Saturday said the culprits behind the “terror and intimidation machinery” which led to the killings of a prominent journalist, an advocate and a businessman in Jammu and Kashmir have been arrested by carrying out raids in multiple locations in the union territory.

    Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the police discovered the culprits secretly working behind the blog site HYPERLINK.

    “http://kashmirfight.wordpress.com”kashmirfight.wordpress.com”.

    He said in a J-K wide operation, houses and properties at multiple locations including Sanat Nagar, Rajbagh and Batpora in Srinagar, Hawal in Pulwama and Poonch and Jammu belonging to five persons were searched.

    Armed with search warrants granted by the competent court of law, police parties carried out searches of the suspect premises and recovered a large number of cell phones, digital storage devices and computing platforms, Kumar said.

    In one house alone, 32 mobile phones, one tablet, two laptops, four hard disk storage devices, seven memory cards and one dongle were seized, he added.

    The IGP said five persons were arrested and have been identified as Nazish Yasrab Rehmani and Tabish Akbar Rehmani from Sanat Nagar, Sofi Mohammad Akbar from Rajbagh, Peerzada Raqif Makhdoomi from Batpora Hazratbal and Javed Khalid from Poonch.

    Kumar said HYPERLINK “http://kashmirfight.wordpress.com”kashmirfight.wordpress.com” was being run by “a white collar terrorist syndicate whose task was to prepare a strategic hit list of government officers, journalists, social activists, lawyers and political functionaries”.

    “They were assessed by the syndicate to be responsible for harming the overarching objectives of furthering and sustaining the Pakistani supported terrorist programme with the eventual aim of secession of Jammu and Kashmir from the Indian union and its eventual annexation with Pakistan,” he said.

    With the arrest of the kingpins and the discovery of a huge number of digital devices and the analysis of the data therein, it is expected that the ultimate plans behind the murder of journalist Shujat Bukhari, advocate Babar Qadri and businessman Satpal Nischal would come to the fore, the IGP said.

    He said the blog site HYPERLINK “http://kashmirfight.wordpress.com”kashmirfight.wordpress.com” had designed a modus operandi wherein the name of the victim was first published and then profiled giving detailed justification as to how and why he is a legitimate target for the militants and subsequently his actual execution by the ultras.

  • Won’t contest polls until both constitutions are made applicable to J-K: Mehbooba

    Replying to a question on contesting elections and becoming a chief minister, she said the PDP has several capable people and not just Mehbooba Mufti alone.

  • Kargil team for statehood to Ladakh, return of Article 370

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: An 11-member delegation of leaders from Kargil region on Thursday demanded that the Centre restore the special status granted under Article 370 of the Constitution and also sought the power to decide on permanent residents as well as full statehood for Ladakh.

    The delegation comprising political leaders and civil society members met Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy almost a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted 14 leaders from Jammu and Kashmir.

    During that meeting, the Centre had urged them to help in the progress of the delimitation exercise. It had not made promises on any immediate statehood to the union territory. During Thursday’s meeting which lasted for more than two hours, Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leader Asgar Ali Karbalai said they called for the need for restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, and full-fledged statehood for Ladakh. He expressed confidence that more meetings would take place. 

    Qamar Ali Akhoon, another leader, said that they were against creation of the UT of Ladakh and sought statehood. The delegation also discussed development issues, he added. According to sources in the MHA, the delegation was given patient hearing in the meeting with top officials.

  • Restore Article 370 or grant statehood to Ladakh: Kargil leaders tell Centre

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR: The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which comprises political and religious leaders, civil society members and traders, will participate in the July 1 dialogue with Centre on two-point agenda restore Articles 370 and 35A or grant statehood with legislature to Ladakh Union Territory.

    The KDA has been invited for talks by Minister of State for Home G K Reddy in New Delhi. “We have received the invitation and 11 members of the KDA will be attending the meeting,” KDA co-chairperson and former MLA Asgar Ali Karbalai told The New Indian Express.

    “We will demand restoration of Articles 370 and 35A. In case they say the matter is sub judice as the abrogation of J&K’s special status has been challenged in Supreme Court, we will demand granting of full statehood with the legislature to Ladakh.”

    Karbalai said the alliance would be demanding statehood on the pattern of Sikkim. “Sikkim was given statehood with a legislature in 1975. At that time, its population was 2.50 lakh while we have more than 3 lakh,” he said. In terms of size also, Ladakh, with over 80,000 sq kms of area, is bigger than Sikkim which has about 7,000 sq km area.

    “Besides, we are more strategically located. On one side, we have Pakistan and on the other side China. Since Ladakh is more strategically located, it should be given full statehood with a legislature to make its own laws,” the KDA leader said. 

    Asked if they would also seek constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, Karbalai said, “If statehood with a legislature is granted, then we can make laws to reserve jobs for locals and protect land rights of the local population. We can make laws to protect our culture and environment.”

    The Kargil leaders’ talks with the Centre comes days after the July 24 All-Party Meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the Centre came up with a roadmap forJ&K — delimitation, elections and then restoration of statehood.

    Delimitation panel to meet today​The delimitation commission tasked with redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies in J&K is likely to hold an internal meeting on Wednesday to finalise its plans on consultations with political parties soon. The commission was appointed in February last year.