Mehbooba Mufti Pledges to Take Back Kashmir Flag from Modi Govt
Mehbooba Mufti said that the BJP has demolished the Indian Constitution and the Parliament had no power to take away special status of Kashmir.
By Rakesh Raman
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti pledged today (October 23) that her party along with other local leaders will fight to get the Kashmir’s special status restored and bring back the state flag.
The firebrand leader Ms Mufti said that those who believe that her party will abandon Kashmir are mistaken. She was referring to PM Narendra Modi and his party BJP who have divided the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) state into two Union Territories and scrapped special status under Article 370 of the Constitution.
Without directly naming Modi, Ms Mufti – who was released from detention a few days ago – said the robber may be mighty, but he has to return the stolen goods.
She added that the BJP has demolished the Indian Constitution and the Parliament had no power to take away special status of Kashmir. “Dictatorship will not continue for long,” Ms Mufti said in a press conference held today.
Recently, Ms Mufti’s party PDP, the National Conference of a former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, and other local leaders have formed “People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration” which is a new political group to fight for the rights of Kashmiris.
Ms Mufti said that even if the leaders need to shed their blood for the Kashmir cause, she will be the first to offer it, adding that Kashmiris are not comfortable with today’s India. Her sentiment is similar to that of Mr Abdullah who said recently that the people of Kashmir – nearly 80% of them are Muslims – do not want to live with India.
In a media interview, he said categorically that Kashmiris have no trust in the Central government led by PM Modi and his home minister Amit Shah. He added that people of troubled Kashmir prefer to live under the Chinese rule instead of living with India.
‘Country will run on Constitution, not BJP’s manifesto’: Mehbooba in first presser after release | India News,The Indian Express @MehboobaMufti https://t.co/lo76VXfRMH
— J&K PDP (@jkpdp) October 23, 2020
On August 22, Mr Abdullah, who lives in Gupkar locality of Srinagar, had announced Gupkar Declaration II, which was signed by leaders of six pro-India political parties in Kashmir – a disputed territory between India and Pakistan. They had pledged to collectively fight for the restoration of the special status of J&K as guaranteed under the Constitution.
The first Gupkar Declaration was made on August 4, 2019, when political parties in J&K had met and vowed to protect its autonomy and special status, guaranteed under Article 370.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
