Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR/ JAMMU, Aug 3: Pradesh Congress Committee president Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Kashmir traders, separatists and some Jammu lawyers today said that any tinkering with the Article 35-A will be disastrous for the country and the State.
Addressing party activists from Uri (Baramulla) Assembly Constituency during review meeting today, PCC president told the Party cadre that previous PDP-BJP regime in the State due to the wrong policies and contradiction in their approach towards the sensitive issues pertaining to State created chaos and restlessness among the people, resulting in deterioration of the situation.
Referring to the Special Status of the State, PCC chief said the Article 35 A of the Constitution of India will have to be safeguard and strengthened and urged upon the State Govt to use all the resources at it’s disposal to defend Article 35- A, saying that Article 370 is a bridge between the State and Union of India and any tinkering with the 35- A will be disastrous.
The constitutional provision protecting the State Subject Laws guaranteed under Article 35 A read with Art 370 is a permanent law, which cannot be diluted, in case any adverse decision is announced, there may be large scale uprising fraught with serious consequences for which both State & Centre Govt will be fully responsible, he warned.
Mir urged upon the cadre to gear up for the challenges ahead and ensure defeat of opportunist political parties, playing with the emotions of people on sensitive issues.
Former minister Taj Mohiuddin also spoke on the occasion and said that there is a great apprehension that State and Centre Govt will not plead for defending Art- 35 A in the Supreme Court and urged that both State and Centre must address people aspirations.
MLA Haji Abdul Rashid, MLC Gulam Nabi Monga and Mohd Anwar Bhat also spoke on the occasion.
Earlier, briefing the leadership about lack of development in Uri (Baramulla), which has come to standstill due to the negligent attitude of previous PDP BJP Govt, the delegation emphasized the leadership to take effective measures to address the genuine concerns of the people in rest of development, employment and other issues concerning them.
Meanwhile, the traders and separatists from Kashmir today continued their protests against the petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Article 35 A of the constitution and threatened to intensify the protests if the Article is tinkered with.
Following a weeklong protest programme that was given by the representatives of 27 Kashmir based trade organization over the issue hearing of which is in the Apex Court on Monday, the business community of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district today held a march against the petition and demanded that steps should be taken to get the petition dismissed. Under the banner of Traders’ Association Anantnag, scores of businessmen assembled at Lal Chowk, Main Square of the town, and marched towards the Court Road. The protest, however, ended peacefully.
Separatist groups, who have called for a strike on August 5 and 6, also protested here against attempts to revoke the special status of the state.
Soon after the culmination of Friday prayers at Jamai Masjid Srinagar, Chairman of Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, took a protest rally along with his supporters to protests against “attempts to tinker with Art 35 A.”
The protesters raised slogans against the abrogation of the article and were carrying placards reading “assault on Article 35 A is an assault on our existence”. Immediately after the protests, Mirwaiz tweeted that the Tinkering with the article was an assault on the existence of the state.
Meanwhile, scores of party workers and activists led by Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman, Yasin Malik held a protest outside a local mosque in Abi Guzar area of Srinagar. “We want to make it clear that if anyone tinkers with the State Subject Law everyone in Kashmir will hit the streets. We will give sacrifice of our lives to safeguard the law,” Malik told reporters during the protest.
In Jammu, a large number of lawyers unanimously passed a resolution for strengthening and retention of Article 35-A of the Constitution of India. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of senior Advocate AV Gupta (Former president Bar Association Jammu) at Bar Hall, High Court, Jammu.
The other prominent lawyers who expressed their views in favour of retention of Article 35-A included Mohd Aslam Goni (Former Advocate General), SC Gupta (Former Sr. AAG), KK Pangotra (Former Assistant Solicitor General of India), Abdul Hamid Qazi (Former AAG), Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed, Pawan Kundal, Murtaza Khan (Ex-MLC), MR Qureshi (Ex-MLC), Ehsan Mirza (Former AAG), Shah Mohammad Choudhary, AH Bhat (Former Govt Advocate).
AV Gupta stated that Late Maharaja Hari Singh had executed instrument of Accession with certain conditions which later came out in the shape of Article 35-A read with Article 370 of the Constitution of India. He further submitted if Article 35-A or Article 370 is deleted then accession of State of J&K with dominion of India gets shaky. He further said that Article 35-A is beneficial for the permanent residents of J&K State.
MA Goni lambasted the critics of Article 35-A and strongly expressed the need of creating mass awareness amongst the people of J&K State regarding the retention of Article 35-A. Goni quoted several judgments of the Apex Court and State High Court and was of the view that petitions challenging Article 35-A are not maintainable and further said that there is a dire need for protecting the Unique Identity of J&K State.
SC Gupta submitted that those who are for scrapping of Article 35-A should first surrender their permanent resident certificates and then work in the State. He further said that Jammu people must support their Kashmiris on the issue of retention of Article 35-A as the State of J&K has its own identity and special status guaranteed under Article 370.
Former ASGI KK Pangotra strongly advocated the retention of Article 35-A and further submitted that it is only Jammu people who will be adversely affected with the influx of huge population from other States of India as no one will settle in Kashmir Valley and only the resources of Jammu shall be exploited at the cost of Jammu people.
Similar views were expressed by advocates K K Pangotra (ASGI), AH Qazi, Murtaza Khan MR Qureshi, Ehsan Mirza, Ch Shah Mohammad, Sarfaraz Hamid Rather, Mohd Aslam Bhat, Ayaz Hamal, MI Sherkhan, Altaf Hussain Janjua, Sheikh Altaf Hussain, FS Butt, Mohd Irfaan Khan, ND Qazi, Zulker Nain Sheikh, Ajaz Chowdhary, Mumtaz Choudhary, Javed Iqbal, Sheikh Ayaz Hussain, HA Farooqi, Wasim Akram, Sikander Hayat Khan, Zaheer Kamlak, ZA Mughal, Waseem Bukhari, Mohd Ayaz Khan, Sayed Asim Hashmi, Raja Mohd Abbas and Sarfaraz Bukhari.