Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday warned of a massive agitation if New Delhi tampers with the J&K’s state subject law guaranteed by Article 35 A. He said the real agenda behind the petition filed against the constitutional provision was no secret and it was actually “a bid to merge Kashmir with union of India”.
Mirwaiz also felicitated Imran Khan, the Prime Minister designate of Pakistan, stating that he expects him to fulfill the vision and dream of Muhammad Ali Jinah.
Addressing the Friday congregational gathering at Jamia Masjid Srinagar, the Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman, said the people of Kashmir are “cautiously and carefully” watching the events around 35 A as it comes up for hearing on August 6 in the Supreme Court.
Mirwaiz said in 2014 the RSS backed Non-Governmental Organization, ‘We the Citizens’, filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of article 35A. “The agenda behind this petition is no secret and is well known,” he said.
He said that it is part of the BJP-RSS plan to change the demographic character of J&K by doing away with the “hereditary state subject law of the state and flooding it with non-state subjects.”
This, Mirwaiz said, is being done so that J&K can be “fully integrated and assimilated in the union of India so that its disputed status is completely undermined.”
Tampering with the state subject law is also a move to counter the plebiscite demand that guarantees settlement of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of its state subjects.
“Kashmiris will not take such machinations lying down and will oppose them tooth and nail. People will hit the streets and resist it forcefully,” said Mirwaiz, who is the key leader in joint resistance leadership (JRL). “The resulting consequences will entirely be the responsibility of those who will force people to take drastic steps.”
Mirwaiz said people of J&K were first tricked into an accession limited to three things with the democratic promise of a plebiscite and then year after year every vestige of sovereignty was compromised and snatched from them.
“Now things have come to such a pass where people of J&K have been reduced to subjects and J&K ruled as a colony, where Delhi does as it wills with scant respect for the concerns of its inhabitants,” he said.
He said tinkering with 35-A is part of the “colonial approach to Kashmir.” Mirwaiz reiterated that people of J&K are simply asking for their just right of the settlement of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the democratic tradition of self-determination.
“We once again appeal to Delhi to give up its obduracy and settle this dispute in keeping with this democratic tradition rather than resorting to coercion and use of force,” Mirwaiz said.
Talking about Pakistan elections and formation of new government, Mirwaiz said that people of Kashmir want to see a stable and prosperous Pakistan. “We are hopeful that under the leadership of Imran Khan who looks likely to form the government, Pakistan will prosper and realise the dream that Muhammad Ali Jinnah had seen for it,” he said.
Mirwaiz said that people of Kashmir have always wished for good neighbourly relations between India and Pakistan. “We are also hopeful that if both countries sincerely decide to resolve Kashmir issue and this wish will become a reality so that people of the subcontinent can live in peace and prosperity,” he said.