Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Monday proposed all regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir to sit together and device a strategy to save Article 35A of the Indian Constitution, which provides special rights and powers to the natives of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mufti said people of all ideologies, including separatists, should resist the “onslaught” on the constitutional guarantee to the state.
“I want to tell all regional political parties that I am in contact with Omar Abdullah Sahab on the issue. If there is an attack on Article 35A then I don’t know which flag people of Jammu and Kashmir will be forced to raise instead of the tricolour. Don’t push the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the wall,” Mufti said at a press conference.
“I would like to appeal to National Conference and Congress as well as leaders like (Yusuf) Tarigami sahib (CPI-M) and Engineer Rashid to sit together and decide what has to be done and how,” Mufti said.
“All, including separatists, will have to come together. We all will have to resist this,” she said, adding that the biggest priority right now “is our identity”.
On the other hand, the Supreme Court is likely to hear a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the Article 35A before February 28. At present, the state of Jammu and Kashmir is under President’s rule where the Union Cabinet takes calls on every administrative decision through the Governor.
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