Excelsior Correspondent
HANDWARA, Aug 28: National Conference president and Member of Parliament from Srinagar, Dr Farooq Abdullah today said that Article 35-A was a non-negotiable article of faith for the people of the State and that NC was ready to fight every battle required to safeguard the State’s special status and its political and cultural identity.
Addressing a convention in Handwara, Dr Farooq Abdullah said the assault on the State’s special status was part of a longstanding ideological mission of those quarters who have always opposed J&K’s political rights and dignity.
“This battle has been forced on the people of the State at a time when all efforts should have been made to initiate a process of reconciliation and healing so that the trust deficit is bridged. At this juncture of unease and uncertainty in the State, the people expected a political initiative that would bring the State back to an era of peace, normalcy and prosperity. Unfortunately, rather than building those bridges of faith, certain organizations and powers are trying hard to dismantle the existing constitutional bridges between J&K and the rest of the country”, he said.
Farooq Abdullah reiterated National Conference’s resolve to fight against all such intrigues and said the need of the hour was for all the three regions of the State to remain united and debunk all distortions that are being spread against Article 35A. “Article 35A is vital and non-negotiable for the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and those trying to divide us on regional and religious lines to further their agenda will have to be defeated. This is a battle for the interests, rights and dignity of every single citizen of Jammu & Kashmir irrespective of his religion, region, language and caste,” he said and added that his party was reaching out to people in every nook and corner of the State in all three regions to make the people aware about the disastrous ramifications of Article 35A being struck down.
“We kept cautioning the PDP as well as others about this impending ploy from day one but these warnings were not taken seriously or it’s quite possible there was and is a tacit understanding among these parties to sacrifice Article 35A to bargain for personal political power. The Article 35A case has been handled with gross irresponsibility and unprofessionalism giving the opposing side an intentional advantage. Key and vital factors – both Constitutional and political – have not been presented and that is why our party will not hesitate to defend Article 35A in a strong, articulate and responsible manner even in the Supreme Court if that is what it takes”, Farooq Abdullah said.
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