Separatist leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik on Tuesday said any attempt to change the demography of the state by “tinkering” with Article 35A was “intolerable” and warned that Kashmiris would “spill their blood” to safeguard the identity and character of the state.
Mirwaiz, who heads a faction of separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference, said “no court, whether in India or in Pakistan, has any jurisdiction to take decisions that can in any way affect the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir”.
The Article 35A has been in the eye of the storm for the past several years since a petition was filed in the Supreme Court to seek its repeal. The petition was filed by New Delhi-based NGO ‘We the Citizens’ before the Supreme Court in 2014 and is up for hearing on August 6.
The possibility of a repeal of Article 35-A – which grants special privileges and rights to the permanent residents of J&K and debars non-residents from buying land or property, getting government jobs, or voting in Assembly elections in the state – has evoked strong resentment in the volatile region and united political parties across the divide.
Mirwaiz, who is also one of the three members of separatist front joint resistance leadership which has called for a two-day shutdown in support of the law, also chaired a meeting at the amalgam’s head office in the city here where the discussion between the constituents revolved around Article 35A.
Tinkering with Article 35A won’t be tolerated: Joint Resistance Group
