Srinagar, Aug 05: National Conference (NC) President and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Dr Farooq Abdullah on Friday said that August 05 2019 unilateral and unconstitutional decisions have become a rallying point for the people of J&K to come together to fight for getting their unique political and cultural identity back.

This, he said, while addressing an unprecedented meet of party functionaries here at Nawa-e-Subha, Srinagar.

Dr Farooq said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been mobilising themselves against subordination, suppression, injustice and bigotry much before India and Pakistan came into being.

“We have never accepted onslaughts on our rights, and our cultural identity. Our peaceful mobilizations also marked our collective detestation for injustice. It is these years of cyclic mobilisations that got embodied into the spirit of National Conference, which as a vibrant platform continues to remain available to generations of Kashmiris, Dogras, Paharis, Gujjars and other classes to give expression to their political and developmental aspirations. The unilateral, unconstitutional and undemocratic decisions of August , 5,2019 have again  planted the seeds of political consciousness among our people living across the length and breadth of J&K,” he said.

Article 370, 35-A, Dr Farooq said, had the region’s unique history, cultural individuality, indigenous political struggle in its back story.

“They are the legal manifestations of the solemn commitments made by New Delhi with the people of J&K. It was a guarantee offered to be part of the Union. It was well crafted to accommodate the political aspirations of our people,” he said.

The new chapter which was opened in Jammu and Kashmir on August 05 2019 had made the present generation relive the trauma and betrayal of 1953, he said adding, “Let’s pose fundamental questions to the powers that be: whether the decisions were able to change ground realities in J&K? Is there peace in J&K? Where is the much touted development and job extravaganza? Where are the investments? Has corruption ceased to exist?”

He further said that the people of J&K kept their promises made with the Union of India in 1947, but there was no reciprocity from the other side. “On the contrary decade after decade our people were fed on false promises of “sky’s the limit”, and ” Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat, and Insaniyat.”

He said the decisions of August 05, 2019 were bereft of democratic oversight.

“It liquidated the hard earned gains of successive people’s governments in J&K. Media has been cowed into silence. There is no space of voice critical of the government’s policies,” he said.

The unilateral decisions of August 05, 2019, he further said, violated the spirit of the country’s asymmetric and cooperative federalism.

“Such a brazen attack on any state has not been seen before. There is no precedent in history, where a state was demoted to UT. Normally UTs are upgraded to the status of state. All this has been done by stealth and by keeping the political representatives of Jammu & Kashmir under confinement and coercion,” he said adding, “There is no way NC will accept the decisions of August,5,2019 ,done through subterfuge that constitutes a fraud on the Constitution. We will fight legally in the country’s highest court. We will continue with our battle for the restoration of our abridged rights peacefully, constitutionally and democratically.”