Advises Farooq Abdullah To Seek Substitute For Article 370
Srinagar | Congress leader and former union minister Prof Saifudin Soz Monday said that the challenge for J&K leadership was not the restoration of statehood but finding a substitute to the abrogated Article 370 of the constitution.
“The crucial question is not the restoration of statehood which the BJP itself wants to happen, but, seeking, at least, a close substitute to the abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India,” Soz said in a statement to Kashmir Observer.
“I rang up Dr. Farooq Abdullah”, Soz said adding I welcome his release and hope that he would realise, in full measure, his role at the present day Kashmir’s ‘cross road situation’.
“As the people know, we have fallen to bad times. So, we must close our ranks and realise our joint responsibility for future”, he said.
“The moot point for mainstream leadership of Kashmir is to ponder over why the Centre put the entire mainstream leadership either in jail or under house arrest since August 5, 2019, when it abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India, unilaterally”, Soz said.
He said it was incumbent upon the mainstream leadership, particularly the National Conference, to adopt a mechanism to sort-out issues with the Centre so that “things don’t go awry in future”.
“If the constitution of India offers accommodation to the resolution of Kashmir issue, then, the Union should take steps to revive the democratic process in Kashmir. It is only then that the electoral process can be undertaken at some point of time in future”.
“It is the Centre that has to come clean on how the state’s constitutional relationship with the Union can be strengthened as a ‘Cooperative and Collaborative Effort,’” Soz said