With the Supreme Court set to hear pleas against Article 35-A on Monday, the joint separatist leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik on Sunday warned of “mass agitation” if the apex court “delivers a verdict against the interests and aspirations of people of the state.” The leadership also said that any move to tinker with the state subject law will lead to a “Palestine-like situation” in the state.
The pleas against Article 35-A that confers special rights and privileges on J&K’s permanent residents are listed for hearing on Monday in Court No. 1 of the Supreme Court in its supplementary list.
The joint leadership asked the people to be ready for protests against “any amendment or change in the state subject laws.”
“The plan to tinker with the Article 35-A, which gives special rights and privileges to natives of Jammu and Kashmir, is a conspiracy to create a Palestine-like situation in the state,” the leaders said, adding that “the conspiracy has been hatched to change the demography of the Muslim-majority state and if the state-subject law is removed or any amendment introduced, people from other states of India will purchase land in Jammu and Kashmir and a Palestine-like situation will arise.”
“People in the state would resist the conspiracy tooth and nail,” the leadership said, appealing to lawyers, writers, scholars and other respected members of society to make people aware of the “consequences” of proposed repealing of state-subject law.
They urged them to make “every possible effort to reach out to the international community to apprise them about the horrifying situations in the state and its disputed status.”
“We will safeguard the integrity and special status of the state at any cost,” the joint leadership said, asserting that the “BJP regime is working to sabotage the referendum process in the state.”
The leadership also urged the mainstream politicians to “join the pro-freedom ranks and play their role in resolving this long-pending issue.”
“The plan to tinker with Article 35-A is a well thought out ploy to end the special status of the state. The concern over Article 35A shown by pro-India parties is mere rhetoric and gimmick,” they said. Attacking the ruling PDP for its “failure” to safeguard Article 35-A, the joint leadership called the party “an ally of the RSS” and the PDP-BJP alliance as “an unholy nexus.”
Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik reiterated that if any attempt was made to change, alter or modify this law, people from all corners of state “will come on roads and resist such move.”
“We are in close contact with religious leaders, civil societies, transporters, businessmen, students, lawyers and other groups. They will be taken on board and a special delegation has been formed to make a consensus after seeking their suggestions in this regard,” the statement read.
The leaders reiterated their appeal asking people to “be ready.”
“We are watching the developments and soon a line of action and programme will be announced for people,” they said.
Be ready for agitation if Article 35A removed: Joint Resistance leadership
