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Kashmiris warn against tinkering with Article 35-A

The petitions challenging Article 35-A of the Constitution that guarantees special privileges to Jammu and Kashmir were posted for the hearing by the apex court for August 6
Last Updated 21 September 2018, 11:44 IST

With Supreme Court set to hear the petitions challenging the legality of Article 35-A on August 6, separatists, mainstream parties and traders in the Valley have upped their ante against any attempt to dilute the state’s special status.

The petitions challenging Article 35-A of the Constitution that guarantees special privileges to Jammu and Kashmir were posted for the hearing by the apex court for August 6 after the Centre told the bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra to defer the hearing on May 5. Last month, the Centre decided it won’t file any ‘counter-affidavit’ on Article 35-A.

Top separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while calling for a strike in Kashmir on August 5 and 6 against what they termed legal assault on J&K’s autonomy, said, “Any and every attempt made at changing the demographic character of the state will be stoutly resisted.”

“They (Delhi) can kill us or detain us, but we won’t succumb to pressure tactics. We are even ready to sacrifice our lives and face detentions to safeguard people’s interests and the disputed nature of the state,” they said in a statement.

Regional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday even appealed separatist leaders to unite with mainstream parties to defend Article 35-A.

“The biggest challenge for separatists and mainstream parties, including the National Conference and Congress, is Article 35-A. We should forget our differences and come together to defend Articles 35 A and 370 just like we did for the past two years,” Mehbooba, whose PDP was in an alliance with the BJP till last month, said at a public rally in Srinagar.

National Conference president and MP Farooq Abdullah at a public function in Srinagar, said, “We will fight against all ploys to assault Article 35-A and won’t allow the powers that be fiddle with our political status and honour”.

Representatives of 27 Kashmir-based trade and industry bodies also vowed to protest against all attempts being made to abrogate Article 35-A. “Our state subject laws have been under attack ever since a PIL was filed by RSS-backed NGO ‘We the Citizens’ and admitted by the Supreme Court that challenges the validity of Article 35-A. It needs to be reminded that Article 35-A affords a protective shield to the hereditary state subject law of Jammu and Kashmir that is in existence since 1927,” said a joint statement issued by these organisations.

Article 35-A disallows people from the rest of the country from buying or owning immovable property in the state, settle permanently, or get state government jobs.

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(Published 31 July 2018, 10:19 IST)

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