Restoration of Article 370 safeguards remains people’s primary demand in IIOJK: Ruhullah Mehdi
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, senior National Conference leader and Indian parliament member from Srinagar, Agha Ruhullah Mehdi, has said that the restoration of the constitutional safeguards enjoyed by the territory before the abrogation of Article 370 remains the foremost aspiration of the people, asserting that the demand goes beyond the restoration of statehood.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing people in Bijbehara, south Kashmir, Ruhullah Mehdi said his stand on the issue has remained consistent since the Assembly and Parliamentary election campaigns. He said he has repeatedly raised the issue at every available forum, including in the Indian parliament and during public meetings across the occupied territory.
“I have conveyed the same message everywhere—from Parliament to the people in Kashmir and before the government in Delhi. My stand has remained consistent,” Ruhullah said.
Ruhullah stressed that New Delhi’s promise of restoring statehood should not be equated with the people’s demand for the restoration of the constitutional guarantees and protections that existed before August 5, 2019.
“Statehood is the BJP’s agenda. The restoration of constitutional guarantees and protections available under Article 370 is the agenda of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. That is the mandate on which we sought votes and were elected,” he said.
He said the National Conference had sought the people’s mandate to safeguard their political and constitutional rights, not merely to secure the restoration of administrative status.
Ruhullah also urged civil society, intellectuals and citizens to speak out on issues affecting the rights and interests of the people rather than aligning themselves with political power or partisan interests.
