Srinagar, Aug 04: Terming August 5 as a “black day” in the constitutional and democratic history of the country, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that 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.
In a statement issued here today, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti said that August 5 has become a reminder of the subversion of the democratic and constitutional system of the country & 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 & the highest institutions were misused. The day saw solemn promises being broken and the trust of millions of people being betrayed. On this day, the spirit of constitutionalism and democratic ethos were undermined as the people of J&K were robbed of their identity and rights,” Mehbooba said in a statement.
“All that happened on August 5, 2019 further complicated the issue of J&K and made the road to resolution of the problem more tedious and painful as people in general feel more alienated today. In order to restore peace with dignity in J&K, there is no alternative to dialogue and reconciliation to address internal as well as the external dimensions of the issue of Jammu & Kashmir,” she said.
Jammu & Kashmir, she said, has to become a bridge of friendship rather than a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. “PDP will continue to strive to see this happen,” she added.
Reiterating that the party would continue to struggle and strive for the restoration rights and identity of the people of J&K, Mehbooba said that no amount of coercion would dissuade the party from advocating its core agenda of peace with dignity through dialogue & reconciliation.
“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.
A day that is now etched in history and collective memory of us all as a proverbial daylight robbery on the rights and liberties of the people of Jammu & Kashmir when promises made to the people of J&K enshrined in the constitution of India were bulldozed to realize the agenda of one party,” 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. (GNS)
