Constitutional guarantees that bind J&K with the Indian Union cannot be unilaterally discarded | The Indian Express

Constitutional guarantees that bind J&K with the Indian Union cannot be unilaterally discarded | The Indian Express

Written by Imran Nabi Dar |Updated: July 26, 2019 7:42:46 am

The writer is a leader of the National Conference in South Kashmir and party’s spokesperson.

Constitutional guarantees that bind J&K with the Indian Union cannot be unilaterally discarded

J&K’s special status isn’t a concession given to the state by the Union government. It is an outcome of a solemn compact between two sovereign entities in 1947.

Unlike other princely states, J&K negotiated the terms and conditions of its entry into the Indian Union. (Illustration by Suvajit Dey)

There has always been a campaign based on falsehood and narrow sectarian motives to question Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status. The main reason for this vilification has always been based on a complete aversion to the state’s Muslim majority and a denial of the constant struggle by its people for political empowerment. But the proponents of such a demand have generally couched it in polite language and tried to hide their communal agenda. Now the gloves are off. The views expressed by a senior IPS officer, Abhinav Kumar, who serves as Inspector General of Police BSF in Kashmir, in a recent article in this paper (‘A new deal for Kashmir,’ IE, July 5) are not only appalling, but also in total disregard of the Constitution.