New Delhi [India], August 5 : August 5 marks six years since the abrogation of Article 370, which rendered Jammu and Kashmir of its statehood, converting the former state into three Union Territories.
Ever since the abrogation, the majority of politicians and leaders in Jammu and Kashmir have been demanding the restoration of statehood. The demand for reinstating the statehood of J-K has intensified after the Omar Abdullah government was formed, following the assembly elections.
As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) extended greetings on the abrogation day, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called for a 15-minute blackout to mark a protest against the move taken by the government of India in 2019.
"August 4, 2019, we were silenced. August 5, our voice, our rights, our Constitution, taken without our consent. What was ours by birth and by belonging was stripped away overnight. Not a whisper of warning," Mufti posted on X.
"Not a shred of justice. Today, we remember. We resist. As a mark of protest and collective mourning, I urge all who carry this wound to join in a 15-minute blackout tonight at 9 PM. Turn off the lights. Let the silence speak. Let the darkness remind the world of what was lost and what still lives in us," she added.
Amid buzz regarding the restoration of statehood, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, however, said that he remains optimistic about "something positive" in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.
"I'm still optimistic about something positive for J&K in this monsoon session of Parliament but not tomorrow (sic). And no, I haven't had any meetings or conversations with people in Delhi. This is just a gut feeling," Abdullah posted on X.
"I've heard every possible permutation & combination about what to expect in J&K tomorrow (sic) so let me stick my neck out and say nothing will happen - fortunately nothing bad will happen but unfortunately nothing positive will happen either," he added.
Recently, National Conference (NC) chief Farooq Abdullah lambasted the Centre, asking about the timeline to reinstate the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
Holding the ruling BJP government in the Centre to fulfil its promise, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister urged the government to hold elections to Rajya Sabha seats and not deny people the right to speak about their problems.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJP in the Centre has maintained its claim that abrogation of Article 370, which did away with the special status for Jammu and Kashmir, was correcting the "historical wrong".
In July this year, BJP spokesperson Ranbir Singh Pathania, MLA from Udhampur East assembly constituency, emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir was currently a Union Territory (UT) and will continue to operate under the rule of law, free from the influence of any political dynasty.
Pathania said that Jammu and Kashmir was a state and assured that it would regain its statehood at the "appropriate time." When the time is right, it will be restored as a state," he remarked, hinting at a potential future direction for the region's political status.
In 2019, on this day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled a resolution in Rajya Sabha to scrap Article 370 and launched a scathing attack against opposition parties, including National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and Congress, accusing the "three families of looting" Jammu and Kashmir.
Shah had said, "Under the umbrella of Article 370, three families looted Jammu and Kashmir for years. Leader of Opposition (Ghulam Nabi Azad) said Article 370 connected Jammu and Kashmir to India, but it's not true. Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Jammu and Kashmir Instrument of Accession on October 27 1947. Article 370 came in 1954."
The scrapped Article 370 of the Indian Constitution gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and barred people from the rest of India from buying land in the former state. The article also limited the powers of the Parliament to make laws for Jammu and Kashmir.