Page 26 - AUG2018E

Article 35A

case in SC puts

Kashmir on brink

of another unrest

Everybody is looking forward to the next hearing of the
Article 35A case. A sense of suspense looms large. The
majority of the people of the state believe that the attempt to
abrogate the constitutional provision is designed to alter the
demographic character of the state, reports riyaz wani

ashmir is on edge and alignment on the issue.
set to tip into fresh tur- There are also voices which sup-
moil. And this time the port the abrogation of the Article
trigger has little to do 35A but they are confined to Jammu
K with the militancy but and a part of Ladakh. Among the
the ongoing case about Article 35A political parties, the BJP is the lead-
in Supreme Court. The apex court is ing voice supporting the repeal of
hearing a clutch of petitions chal- the crucial constitutional safeguard
lenging the validity of the constitu- arguing it is ultra-vires of the con-
tional provision that grants special stitution as it was applied directly
citizenship rights to people of J&K through a presidential order and
and forbids people from other parts not enacted by the parliament.
of the country to settle in the state. But a predominant majority of
On August 6, the court deferred the state opposes removal or any • Law is in the air Protests are being
the crucial hearing on the petition tinkering with the law. And the anx- organised across Kashmir in defence
to the last week of this month. The iety runs so deep that any adverse of the Article 35A
run-up to the hearing witnessed decision could throw the state into
protests and shutdowns in Kashmir. disorder. What has reinforced the
Hurriyat had even issued a call for a unease is that the centre has re- soring these elaborate assaults on
sustained agitation in case the Court fused to defend the law in the court the state’s special status have been
issued an adverse judgement. The and the Governor led state govern- inimical to the state’s interests and
adjournment of the case, therefore, ment isn’t expected to be in a posi- political identity from the very first
offered a breather but did not ad- tion to put up the best defence. day and we fought them then and
dress the apprehension which has “We owe it to our future genera- we will fight them now.”
since only further deepened. Civil tions to safeguard and protect our Similarly, the former J&K Chief
society groups have mobilised to re- political identity and special status Minister Mehbooba Mufti said
sist any change. Hurriyat has called that our ancestors and our found- the scrapping of the law would be
for the continuance of the protests. ing leaders fought for,” the National against the “basic structure of the
And what is more, the mainstream Conference Omar Abdullah said constitution.” After the Supreme
political parties have also joined in while addressing his party work- Court deferred the hearing of the
and supported the protests. This has ers in central Kashmir district of case, Mehbooba took to Twitter to
created a broad across-the-board Budgam. “The forces that are spon- articulate the grave situation pre-

Tehelka / 31 august 2018 26 www.Tehelka.com