‘Undemocratic diktat’: Sajad writes to Governor Malik

Peoples Conference chairman SajadGani Lone Monday wrote a letter to Governor Satya Pal Malik to seek withdrawal of the order prohibiting movement of civilian vehicles on the Baramulla-Srinagar-Jammu highway for two days a week.

In a decision that sparked widespread outrage acrossKashmir, the state government last week ordered restrictions on movement ofcivilian vehicles on the Baramulla-Srinagar-Jammu highway on Sunday andWednesday every week to facilitate movement of forces’ convoys on the road.

   

“This is the most despicable, irrational, undemocratic andsenseless diktat ever to have been issued in a republic nation governed by theConstitution,” reads the letter written by Lone to Governor.

Sajad said the “outrageous order violates Article 19(1)(d)of the Constitution of India, which guarantees to the citizens the fundamentalright to move freely in any part of the country”.

“By barring the movement of the people of the State on twodays a week, does the State administration want to convey that the fundamentalrights are not applicable to the State of J&K or that the administrationhas the power to suspend these rights at its whim and caprice? I think yourexcellency has been grossly mislead and ill-advised in this matter,” the letterreads.

Sajad said the “shameful order, reminiscent of totalitarianand despotic era of governance, is bound to turn into a humanitarian disasteras the school children, employees, people connected with trade and business andpeople in dire need to travel in order to attend to their daily needs ofsurvival would not be able to move”.

“This restriction will also have a disastrous effect ontourism industry in the State when the tourism season has just begun.Practically, the hustle and bustle of life in the State would be in off-modefor these two days,” the letter further states.

Sajad has suggested to the Governor that forces personnelcan “either be airlifted from Jammu or transported through dedicated railwaycoaches from Banihal to Baramulla.”

Cautioning the governor’s regime about implications of thedecision, Sajad said the move would also “result in bad blood between thecivilian population and the armed forces, which would be detrimental forsecurity environment of the state”.

Seeking revocation of the order, Sajad said “such draconianorders have no place in civilised nations where rule of law prevails”.

“Resort to such measures sends a wrong signal to the entireworld that all is not well in the State of J&K,” the letter reads.

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