Saying that Kashmiris are under an assault from all sides, Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) Monday said that hectic efforts are on to do away with the special status of the state altogether by challenging Article 35A in the Indian Supreme Court.
According to the joint statement issued here, the JRL including Syed Ali Geelani , Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik said that on one front killing of youth and pelleting and firing upon protestors continues and persecution of leadership through fabricated cases by NIA and on the other after the passing of GST that did away with the state’s fiscal autonomy, hectic efforts are now on to do away with the special status altogether by challenging Article 35A in the Indian Supreme Court.
“As this article bars non-J&K state subjects to settle and buy property in J&K, the article is being challenged in court with the view to alter the demography of the state by settling people from outside the state, with the right to acquire land and property, and vote in the Assembly elections,” the leadership said, adding that it is being promoted as part of the “final solution” to the Kashmir issue by the Indian state led by the RSS.
“This is a very serious issue with serious ramifications,” they said.
They said if any effort is made in this direction, JRL will have to ask people to launch a vigorous agitation against this major ‘ploy’ to change the basic character of the states special status, the consequences of which will be entirely on the ruling regime.
JRL said that the Kashmir dispute is an internationally acknowledged conflict for which people of Kashmir for the past seven decades have given tremendous sacrifices and continue to do so and every effort to undermine that fact by such ploys are unacceptable to the people of Kashmir who will oppose it tooth and nail.
“Instead of these tactics, Government of India (GoI) should work towards the resolution of the dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Kashmir and for a peaceful subcontinent,” JRL added.
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