J&K Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara Sajad Lone on Tuesday welcomed Congress party’s protest and renewed push for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, calling it a long-overdue recognition of the sufferings endured by the people since August 2019.
“At last, a national party, the main opposition party, Congress has talked about the sufferings of the people of J&K,” Lone said, lauding the opposition party’s thrust on statehood. “Congress’s protest and thrust for statehood is welcome. I hope other parties—the big regional parties and other national parties—follow the lead.”
But Lone made it clear that the issue at hand goes far beyond statehood. “It is no longer about statehood. It is about dignity. Crowding out the elected Assembly from the democratic space and relegating it to a constricted democratic space is an act of indignity towards the people of J&K,” he remarked.
Expressing hope that political restoration would come swiftly and meaningfully, Lobe said, “Let us hope we get statehood back in the first instalment. And let us hope all political parties—including the ruling NC—remember how undignified it is to create a trespass on the elected democratic space.”
Taking a pointed dig at the ruling party National Conference, he stressed, “While we all aspire for statehood, we also aspire that the ruling party does not facilitate unelected or defeated NC members encroaching upon the space of the elected MLA. An elected MLA is politically as sacred as are our concepts of statehood, Article 370, Article 35A.”
