Abrogation of 35A will end J&K's accession with India: Mehbooba

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday that if Article 35A is nullified then nobody would be available to lift the national flag in Kashmir.

Addressing a media conference here, Mufti said: "If Article 35A is nullified, I fear there would be nobody to lift the national flag in Kashmir. Please don't play with fire. There has been lot of disinformation about this article in the rest of the country.

"Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim-majority state which acceded to India under certain conditions.

"These conditions are there to preserve the Muslim-majority status of the state. Any fiddling with Article 35A, which is part of Article 370, would nullify the state's accession with India."

She said people are grateful to the Supreme Court that came down heavily when reports appeared about attacks on Kashmiri students outside the state.

She said pressure was mounted on her with regard to Article 35A during the PDP-BJP ruling coalition in 2016.

"We did not compromise on this issue because we believe that abrogation of Article 35A would end the constitutional relationship of J&K with the rest of country," she said.

--IANS

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