Protests against petitions challenging the Article 35 A continues in occupied Kashmir as hundreds of representatives of Srinagar-based traders’ bodies have demanded the government of India that the case for abrogation of Article 35A filed in the Supreme Court of India be dismissed forthwith. They have warned New Delhi that the original state subjects will in no case accept any effort if made at any level for change of demography of the state. The members of the Jammu and Kashmir Trade Union who staged a peaceful sit-in in Srinagar and other district headquarters said that business community, be it traders, hoteliers or transporters are ready to sacrifice their lives to protect the special status of the state. They said that the Government of India, backed by right wing elements is using all dirty tactics to take away over special status but we won’t let it happen. The people of Kashmir won’t accept it under any circumstances, they said adding that people of J&K have been enjoying these rights even before India became independent in 1947.
Challenging article 35A of Indian Constitution is an open assault on the people living in the disputed region which is aimed at changing its demography. Any attempt of fiddling with the Article, which empowers the Jammu and Kashmir state’s legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents is bound to push the region into further chaos making the situation even more compound and complicated. Unfortunately New Delhi has blatantly ignoring the situation in the region rather than trying to pacify the situation in the trouble region the BJP government led by Naredar Modi is adding fuel to the fire by raising highly sensitive issues. India needs to realize the ground reality that any attempt to change the article 35A will be a disaster for the whole state. They need to understand the fact that Kashmiris are very sensitive about such laws which protect their national and cultural identity. And any attempt to alter this law will be tantamount to playing with the sentiments of the people of the region. It is time that the sane voices in and outside India to understand the issue and come forward in a big way to avoid any such eventuality that in turn would jeopardize the peace in the entire region.
