2020 J&K’s deadline to country: Mehbooba to Amit Shah

Stating that BJP president Amit Shah was “daydreaming” about abrogating Article 370 by the year 2020, regional PDP president and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday said 2020 will also be state’s deadline to the country.

"I want to tell Amit Shah that you are daydreaming if you think you will abrogate Article 370,” she told reporters after filing her nomination papers for the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat.

“The year 2020 will also be Jammu and Kashmir’s deadline to the country,” she said while reacting to Shah’s recent statement that abrogating Article 370 and Article 35-A was the party’s commitment to the people of the country and it will happen by 2020.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief also hit out at former Sadr-i-Riyasat (president) of J&K Karan Singh. “Karan Singh’s father Maharaja Hari Singh had himself laid the foundation of Article 370. Today, he is singing a different tune,” she said.

On PDP’s stand on Article 370 and 35-A, the former CM said, “We will chop off the hands of those who will try to abrogate the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Article 370 grants special status to J&K, while Article 35A empowers the state legislature to define the state’s “permanent residents”, their special rights and privileges. Five petitions challenging Article 35A are before Supreme Court. The main petition filed by Delhi based NGO “We the Citizens” has been pending since 2014.

Earlier, Mehbooba, who was accompanied by her senior party members, filed the nomination paper for the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat. On the occasion, the former chief minister also remembered her father for his support and guidance.

“Filed my nomination from Anantnag constituency for #LokSabha2019. Was overcome with emotion since this is the first election Ill contest without my fathers guidance & support. But am confident that my people will restore their faith in PDP. Its an honour to fight for them,” she tweeted soon after filing her nomination papers.

Mehbooba had won the seat in 2014 Lok Sabha elections before quitting it in 2016 to return to the state politics in April that year as chief minister of the state.

Spread over four districts, the Anantnag constituency has been seething with anger since July 2016 when militant commander Burhan Wani was killed by forces in a remote village of the district.