Sajad Lone’s Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) on June 7 said Jammu and Kashmir was witnessing a continuous denial of democracy and urged all the political parties not to visit J&K as part of Parliament Standing Committees.
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“It is with great sorrow that we observe the continuous denial of democracy and Statehood in J&K. It is disheartening that amidst a population of 1.4 billion people in our nation, not a single soul outside the State seems visibly perturbed by the denial of democracy and statehood to J&K,” a JKPC spokesman said after Mr. Lone chaired a meeting of workers.
He said it was for the first time since 1947 that a State has been downgraded to a Union Territory. “This sad state of affairs has relegated J&K, once the crown of India’s mainland politics, to mere tokenism,” the spokesman said.
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The JKPC also questioned the narrative of the development of the government. “Even if we momentarily assume, although falsely, that there existed a developmental deficit in J&K, does it imply that all other States are surging ahead, leading the global league in development while J&K lags behind? After all, the state administration consists of the same IAS and IPS officers who govern other parts of the country,” the JKPC said.
Mr. Lone’s party appealed to all political parties not to visit J&K as part of Parliament Standing Committees purportedly overseeing development in Union Territories. “By participating, they inadvertently endorse the decision to downgrade J&K to a Union Territory. If these political parties genuinely stand for democracy and the right of the people of J&K to elect their own government, they should unequivocally refuse to partake in such meetings,” the JKPC said.
The JKPC said it will implore all concerned stakeholders, both within the State and across the nation, “to reflect upon the gravity of the situation and unite in our quest to restore democracy and statehood to J&K”.