Srinagar, Aug 06: Unimpressed by the adjournment of the petitions challenging Article 35-A of the constitution in the Supreme Court, separatists today claimed that the hearing was deferred till last week of August in view of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra.
They vowed to continue protests against any “tinkering” with the provision on permanent residency law of the state.
“Hearing of the case regarding the hereditary state subject law of J&K has been simply deferred from today till last week of August by the Supreme Court when the Amarnath Yatra ends. The protest programmes against tinkering with the law will continue as leadership deliberates upon it,” the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik said.
They said deferment of the case by a few weeks was an indication about the intentions of the court which entertained the “mischievous petitions backed by the RSS, as part of RSS’ well-known agenda on Jammu and Kashmir”.
“A strict vigil will be maintained on the situation as we will continue to devise and follow a collective strategy in consultation with all segments of society, including traders, lawyers, civil society members, transporters and others,” the separatists added.
The JRL had called for a two-day shutdown in the Valley, beginning yesterday, to protest against the legal challenge to validity of Article 35-A before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court today said a three-judge bench would decide whether the pleas challenging Article 35A, which provides special rights and privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, should be referred to a five-judge Constitution bench for examining the larger issue of alleged violation of the doctrine of basic structure of the Constitution.
The JRL also lauded the people K from all regions and religions for their unity and exemplary courage in defending this law, which is “fundamental to our existence as a nation.”
“This law is directly linked to the disputed status of the entire state of J&K as people of the state are yet to exercise their right to self-determination guaranteed by the UN to decide their permanent dispensation as a nation,” said the JRL.
“The mischievous move to remove this provision is clearly aimed at undoing that possibility by changing the demographic nature of the state and settling non-residents here and hence undermining the conflict and its resolution,” it said.
