Srinagar, Sep 07: CPI (M) senior leader and former Kulgam legislator, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami Tuesday asked the government to restore the legitimate constitutional rights of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement Tarigami said that Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) issued by erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 35A has now become a sole basis for defining permanent resident of UT Ladakh, is validation and vindication of essence of Article 35A in ensuring constitutional guarantees to people of J&K and Ladakh which (Article 370) was arbitrarily made inoperative.

“Through the scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcating the state into two union territories, not only has the BJP government undermined the basic structure of the constitution but the relationship between Jammu & Kashmir and the union itself. And the only way to put it back on track is by immediately restoring democracy alongwith full autonomy and statehood to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

He added that the democratic forces must raise their voice for restoration of the legitimate rights of the people, adding that “let those in authority understand that forced silence can’t be construed as acceptance.” kno