Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 31: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference today stated that the emphatic win of Dr Farooq Abdullah led PAGD has been very rewarding for the furtherance of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the ongoing infringement of constitutionally guaranteed and other democratic rights of people is not compatible with the idea of India.
While appreciating the conviction of people in democratic process, Party’s additional general secretary Dr. Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal said, “It was very elevating for us to see people galvanize on their own notwithstanding immense pressures and pull and cast their votes in the recently concluded DDC elections. While the leaders were undergoing incarceration at in-house and out-house centers, people took it upon them to protect the frail democracy planted and watered by the sacrifices’ of innumerable NC leaders and workers in a widespread crackdown overseen by the ruling BJP.
People’s overwhelming response for NC should in no case be seen in isolation.”
Remarking on the ongoing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Kamaal said that the people of J&K had made it clear to the ruling BJP that there could be no trade off between their political aspirations and development. Ruling BJP at New Delhi, he said on the contrary has been trying to change the gear of local politics by supplanting its stooges.
“Throttling democracy, doing away with an empowered legislature, and caging of political leaders has put the very supreme interests of the country at stake. The political void that has been created cannot be filled by having local body elections. The people of Jammu and Kashmir be granted institutional protection to protect their voices from being swamped. It was the wide-ranging constitutional guarantees under Articles 370 and 35-A that ensured it. Unfortunately the August 5 move of ruling BJP overlooked such expediency, and the successive orders and notifications were also bereft of any provision for demographic protection, vibrant democracy, and protection of cultural, educational, employment, and land rights of locals. One most galling aspect of August policy has been the dwindling number of natives of J&K from decision making bodies,” he said.
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