Key Takeaways
- Omar Abdullah urges the Supreme Court to expedite the hearing on Article 370 for the benefit of Jammu and Kashmir residents.
- He highlights ongoing challenges such as poor road infrastructure, high inflation, and inadequate electricity and educational facilities.
- The discussion on a Uniform Civil Code remains pending, with calls for inclusive implementation across all communities.
Srinagar: Former Chief Minister and vice president of National Conference Omar Abdullah on Tuesday hoped that the Supreme court will do justice with the people of Jammu and Kashmir during the hearing of Article 370.
“We expect justice,” Omar told the media in Srinagar on Tuesday.
He said the injustice happened with the people of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019 when the Article 370 was scrapped and the constitution and law was torn apart.
He said as soon as possible the hearing on it should be completed and the Supreme Court should put their decision on Article 370 before the public.
“We feel that our argument on Article 370 is right and our case in this regard is strong,” he said.
The NC vice president said now time should not be taken in announcing the date since there are so many things connected with Article 370.
He said the Panthers Party which had filed the petition regarding holding of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Supreme Court has also connected that with the Article 370 hearing.
“It should not happen that waiting for the hearing on Article 370 we had to wait for the elections too”, he added.
In another question regarding that BJP said that Article 370 was temporary as mentioned by then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Omar said, “It is right, but in which circumstances
it was temporary that has to be understood…what was told to the people that time that it would be decided by holding the plebiscite to know the faith of Jammu and Kashmir”.
“We have been told since the past 70 years that Jammu and Kashmir is part of India. If that becomes permanent similarly Article 370 is also permanent,” he said, adding “you cannot take only one part of this argument for your own interest. You need to understand in what circumstances the Article was put in temporary shape”.
“If they have done that temporary in permanent…this (Article 370) is also transferring into permanent automatically”, he said.
In reply to a question that the Centre claims peace and development are progressing in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, he said:
Road conditions are not perfect, with heavy rain causing flood threats. Inflation has surged, electricity supply is poor, and the conditions of schools and colleges remain inadequate.
The government which is taking credit of the present projects that had been started by the previous governments, Omar said
He said normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir was also before 1989 and that time the scrapping of article 370 could not happen.
“The situation was also good before the 2014 floods. Tourists were visiting in record numbers that time also. Development does take place during that period also. Panchayat elections were held and people participated overwhelmingly cast their franchises with 80-90 percent turnout,” he said.
Regarding Unified Civil Code (UCC), Omar said that there is no proposal yet. The Prime Minister of India had just said that there should be talk on the UCC and it should be implemented.
Let the proposal come and we will talk, he added.
In another question Omar said if BJP is talking that there would be exemptions for north east, Christians, Tribals and Dalits in the UCC, “Uniform code means that it should be implemented for every citizen of the country. If there could be exemptions for any sect..we as Muslim will also demand for the same,’ he said.
