Srinagar, Aug 04: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Friday said that the “political vacuum” caused by the Government of India’s “unilateral and undemocratic” action on August 5, 2019, continues to “torment” Jammu & Kashmir.
Expressing concern over the five-year-long Central rule in the beleaguered region, NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq in a statement said, “Far from bringing projected development and peace dividends to Jammu & Kashmir, Centre’s August 05 actions have instead disrupted almost every aspect of life across Jammu and Kashmir. Employability of youth, development, accountability and democracy have become prime casualties of the unilateral and undemocratic measures. The actions as already forewarned by us, have begun yielding diminishing returns. Projected as a move that would bring development and peace to Kashmir, the actions have pushed the region into a quagmire of hopelessness.”
“New media policy, outsourcing of jobs and contracts to locals, soaring inflation, curtailment of ration, drastic hike in the tariff of utility services, and new dismissal rules of employees has resulted in real curbs on the most basic democratic rights such as freedom of expression,” he said.
Sadiq said that “denial” of popular, representative government for too long has its own inherent negative implications on every sphere of life across J&K. “The administrative setup in place in J&K lacks legitimate representative character. Bureaucratic rule cannot be a substitute to a representative government,” he said. “Every conceivable factor involved in election arithmetic is being taken care of from redrawing of the boundaries of constituencies and to lopsided award by the delimitation commission.”
The situation with regards to democracy in J&K stands incoherent with the country’s Constitution and there is disquieting evidence of the backsliding of democracy everywhere in Jammu & Kashmir, the spokesperson said.
He expressed hope on the “objectivity, impartiality and sense of justice and fair play” of the Supreme Court that has begun hearing the petition filed by the party through its legal counsel and senior SC advocate Kapil Sibal against the August 05, 2019 actions. “I am hopeful that the SC will invalidate the centres actions of August 05, 2019, and restore the constitutional rights of our people that have been decimated, and abrogated,” he said.
