On 2nd Anniversary of Article 370 Abrogation, Gupkar Says 'Naya Kashmir Hoax a Joke Now'

Calling the Centre’s Naya Kashmir slogan a hoax on what they maintained was a black day, Kashmiri parties have said Jammu and Kashmir remains “as far from Delhi and from the dil (heart) of India as it has ever been." The statement was referring to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told an all-party delegation from the Valley on June 24. The PM had assured those present that his government would work to bridge the “dil ki doori" and “Delhi ki doori" with Kashmiris, after the Centre on August 5, 2019, ended J&K’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and went on to reorganise the state into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party termed it a step towards national integration.

“The recent participation of J&K leaders with the PM was a leap of faith on that hope but none of the measures required to begin rebuilding the shattered confidence of the people of J&K has been taken. J&K remains as far from Delhi and from the dil of India," MY Tarigami, spokesperson of the Gupkar Alliance, said in a statement on Wednesday on the eve of the second anniversary of the union government’s move.

A grouping of six parties including the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party, the Gupkar Alliance said the removal of special status was “damaging the bond of our relationship with the union of India".

“By demolishing the constitution of Jammu & Kashmir the government has crossed all the limits of constitutionality," Tarigami said. “Downgrading the historic state of Jammu & Kashmir without the consent of the people and also ignoring the Resolution adopted by J&K legislature on 03 March 2004 to preserve the unity and the secular character of Jammu & Kashmir state has set a precedent that any state can cease to exist as a state and can be carved up into any number of fragments any time, by placing it under Governor’s Rule.”

The very existence of a state becomes a matter of central discretion, a substantial step towards a unitary state, he said.

Tarigami said the abrogation of Article 35A of the Indian constitution made the status of permanent residents redundant. “Protection of jobs and land rights was removed arbitrarily. The economy of J&K has virtually collapsed as tourism, trade, agriculture, horticulture and handicraft sectors were badly hit. Employment opportunities are shrinking. Is corruption any less and governance any better? The fact remains not a single claim stands the test of the scrutiny," he said. “The throttling of democracy and democratic rights was initiated and the continuous restrictions on the movement and association of the people and gagging the media has resulted in forced silence."

“The hoax of BJP’s Naya Kashmir is a joke now," he added.

The PDP termed August 5 a “black day” in the constitutional and democratic history of the country, saying the “draconian” steps taken on the day in 2019 have not only betrayed the trust of the people but also complicated the issue of J&K further and taken the political process back by decades.

Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said August 5 has become a reminder of the subversion of the democratic and constitutional system of India and how the trust of the people of J&K and all the democrats of the country was betrayed.

“It is a day when the country was lied to and the highest institutions were misused. The day saw solemn promises being broken and the trust of millions of people betrayed," the former J&K chief minister said.

She pledged to continue to struggle and strive for the restoration rights and identity of the people of J&K.

“Today the party reiterates that August 5 is and will continue to be a Black Day as a reminder of the constitutional fraud perpetrated on the people of J&K and that of how this fraud was imposed with the might of incarcerations and under the dark shadow of suspension of civil liberties," she said.

Calling the repeal of special status a “daylight robbery" on the rights and liberties of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, she said two years later, none of the stated goals of the government that were used to “camouflage the betrayal" – of bringing Kashmir closer to India, ending militancy, bringing development to the state – have been achieved.

“Instead, Kashmiris have lost faith (if any left) in the Indian political leadership & system and are even asking questions of the judiciary. The Supreme Court has still not found time to take up the petitions challenging the legal and constitutional validity of the J&K Reorganization Act," she added.

A statement from the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference said that “August 5 will perpetually be remembered as a dark day and a day of disempowerment in the history of J&K".

Party spokesperson Adnan Ashraf Mir added that “the decisions taken on August 5th, 2019 are spiteful and contrary to ideals and values of a democracy, federal character of the Indian State".

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