Mehbooba Mufti calls for 15-minute blackout to protest against 'unilateral' abrogation of Article 370

Srinagar: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday called for observing a 15-minute blackout to protest the "unilateral" abrogation of Article 370, which provided a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, by the Centre in 2019.

"August 4, 2019 we were silenced. August 5 our voice, our rights, our Constitution taken away without our consent. What was ours by birth and by belonging was stripped away overnight. Not a whisper of warning. Not a shred of justice. Today, we remember. We resist.

"As a mark of protest and collective mourning, I urge all who carry this wound to join in a 15-minute blackout tonight at 9 pm. Turn off the lights. Let the silence speak. Let the darkness remind the world of what was lost and what still lives in us," Mufti posted on her X handle.

While officials said the blackout was observed at some places in Pulwama and Sopore areas, the PDP posted videos of people observing the blackout in Srinagar and Shopian as well.

"In response to Ms Mehbooba Mufti's call, PDP workers from Srinagar observed a 15-minute lights-out protest silently rejecting the unilateral move of 5th August 2019 that stripped J-K of its autonomy and safeguards," the party said in a series of posts on its X handle.