Srinagar: Political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir have reacted to the Supreme Court of India’s judgement declaring the abrogation of Article 370 as constitutional.
Former J&K chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Monday, December 11, wrote on X that he is disappointed. “Disappointed but not disheartened. The struggle will continue. It took BJP decades to reach her. We are also prepared for a long haul,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
Senior Congress leader and former ‘Sadr-e-Riyasat’ Dr Karan Singh, who is the son of the last Dogra ruler of the state Maharaja Hari Singh, said, “I welcome the Supreme Court decision”.
President of Peoples Democratic Party and former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said, “The people of J&K are not going to lose hope or give up. Our fight for honour and dignity will continue regardless. This isn’t the end of the road for us.”
Local BJP leaders have welcomed the decision saying that it vindicates the party’s stand on J&K’s total integration with the rest of the country.
Syed Altaf Bukhari told IANS, “I accept the honourable Supreme Court decision with a heavy heart. I am sure that our next generation of youth would not be deceived by false and hollow assurances given to them by some politicians which left hundreds killed here.
“I am at the same time reassured that my decision to float a political party and meet the Prime Minister to get his assurances on jobs and land only for the locals is an achievement.
“I appeal to the Prime Minister to give some legal and constitutional shape to the assurances made that jobs and land would be available in J&K only to the locals.”
“It could be given a constitutional shape by way of Article 371 or any other constitutional provision. Now that the suspense and uncertainty are over, I hope statehood will be restored very soon and Assembly elections held without any further delay.”
Sajad Gani Lone, president of People’s Conference said on his X-post, “The Supreme Court verdict on Article 370 is disappointing. Justice yet again eludes the people of J and K. Article 370 may have been legally obliterated but will always remain a part of our political aspirations.
“In the case of statehood the Supreme Court sidestepped even commenting on it, thus protecting the entire country from any future misuse, by citing precedence. Yet the same misuse was subtly endorsed in J & K. Let us hope at a future date Justice wakes up from its slumber of pretence”.
