Farooq Abdullah calls for ‘United Fight’ to protect Article 35A

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday reiterated that all state political parties should get united for protection of Article 35-A, cautioning that it would be “devastating” for the state if the constitutional provision is scrapped.
“The scrapping of Article 35A will lead to a storm which will create devastation with each passing day,” he said, addressing party workers from Kulgam, Beerwah and Dooru at his residence here.
“The time demands that people of J&K along with the mainstream parties should set aside their differences and get united to defend Article 35-A,” Farooq said in a statement.
The removal of the Article would pave way for outsiders and non-state subjects to apply for jobs, buy land and participate in elections in J&K, he said.
“That will lead to loss of our identity and our special status,” he warned.
Farooq said Article 35-A was more advantageous to people of Ladakh and Jammu than Kashmiris.
Meanwhile, a team of civil society members comprising advocate GN Shaheen, a senior member of Kashmir High Court Bar Association (KHBA), Awami National Conference president Muzaffar Shah and Jagmohan Singh Raina, president Kashmir Sikh Coordination Committee called on Farooq at his Gupkar residence and sought his help in building a broader political consensus on protection of Article 35-A, a NC spokesman said in a statement.
“During the course of discussions, Abdullah assured full support and offered to work for a united fight for protection of the Article to the members who are part of the coordination committee ‘We the People’ constituted for protection of Article 35-A,” he said.
“He (Farooq) told the civil society members that protecting the Article has become an issue of identity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir as granting property rights to non-state subject would change the demography in the state and new law would be used to covert majority into minority,” the spokesman said.
He told the delegation the scrapping of the Article 35-A is a threat to the religious and cultural identities of all the three distinct regions of the state.
Confirming about the meeting to KNS, GN Shaheen said the meeting was very “cordial and rather a big success.”
“We made it a point that united fight against attempts to scrap Article 35A will be above the lines of religion and region and people of all the three regions of the state would come together to continue struggle for protection of Article 35A till the final resolution of Kashmir issue,” he said.