Tuesday, August 5, marks six years since the Union government, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, announced the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, stripping Jammu and Kashmir of its statehood status.
The previous day, chief minister Omar Abdullah, in a cryptic post, said he is optimistic about “something positive” for the Union Territory during the ongoing Parliament session, but not tomorrow.
However, Abdullah clarified that he had no meeting or conversation with the people in Delhi and his statement is based on his “gut feeling”.
“I’ve heard every possible permutation & combination about what to expect in J&K tomorrow (August 5) so let me stick my neck out and say nothing will happen tomorrow – fortunately nothing bad will happen but unfortunately nothing positive will happen either.
“I’m still optimistic about something positive for J&K in this monsoon session of Parliament but not tomorrow. And no, I haven’t had any meetings or conversations with people in Delhi. This is just a gut feeling. Let’s see this time tomorrow,” Abdullah wrote in a post on X.
Former chief minister and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party chief, Mehbooba Mufti, posted a reminder of the events of August 2019.
“August 4, 2019, we were silenced. On August 5, our voice, our rights, our Constitution were taken without our consent. What was ours by birth and belonging was stripped away overnight,” she wrote. “Not a whisper of warning. Not a shred of justice. Today, we remember. We resist.”
The Supreme Court is likely to hear a plea seeking directions to the Centre for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir on August 8.
On December 11, 2023, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the revocation of Article 370, even as it ordered that assembly elections be held in Jammu and Kashmir by September 2024 and its statehood be restored “at the earliest”.
Last year, a plea was filed in the top court seeking directions to the Centre for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir within two months.
(With PTI inputs)
