Tampering with Article 370 will end J&K’s relationship with India: Mehbooba Mufti

SRINAGAR: The state of Jammu and Kashmir will seize to be part of Union of India if Article 370 is scrapped, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday.

Former J&K chief minister and Lok Sabha candidate for Anantnag constituency, Mehbooba said it was only by virtue of Article 370 that laws of India were implemented in J&K and any tampering with it would have grave ramifications.

“If you break that bridge (Art 370)... then you will have to renegotiate the relationship between India and Jammu & Kashmir,” she said.

According to the PDP chief, in case Art 370 is tampered with, new conditions would be negotiated between India and J&K. “People would be forced to even think whether they want to join India or not,” she said.

Taking a dig at Union finance minister Arun Jaitley’s comments on special status to the state, Mehbooba said in such an atmosphere “would a Muslim majority state even want to be your part”.

Jaitley had said that Article 35A was “constitutionally vulnerable” and was an impediment to the economic development of J&K.

Article 35A of the Constitution empowers J&K’s legislature to define “permanent resident” of the state and provide special rights and privileges to them. These special rights are excluded for non-permanent residents. It was added to the Constitution through a Presidential Order, issued by the President of India on May 14, 1954, exercising the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 370.