Article 35A: Strike affects normal life, JRL withdraws call for tomorrow
Rehan Shokat
Srinagar, Feb 13 : Normal life was completed affected on Wednesday in wake of the shutdown called by Joint Resistance Leadership in support of Article 35A and Article 370 of Indian constitution.
Shops and other business establishments remained closed while public transport was mainly off the roads reports said.
In Srinagar city and other district towns in the Valley, reports and residents said, there was the deployment of government forces at several places to prevent protests.
The state government has already filed an application before the Supreme Court, seeking the adjournment of the hearing till an elected government is established in the state.
As many as five petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against Article 35A, with the lead case filed in 2014 by a little known Delhi-based NGO, ‘We The Citizens’.
Meanwhile, Joint Resistance Leadership withdrew strike call against hearing of 35A case in Supreme Court of India on Thursday after the lawyers conveyed to the leadership that in the cause list issued by the top court at 7 pm today the cases are not listed for hearing tomorrow.
The Kashmir Bar Association led by senior lawyers Mian Qayoom, Zafar Shah, Zaffar Qureshi, Mohd Ashraf and others are in New Delhi defending the case at the Supreme Court on behalf of the people of J&K. “They are in touch with the leadership,” they said.
The JRL said the senior lawyers will be present at the Supreme Court for the whole day tomorrow as well and will closely monitor the case and update the leadership about it. The Leadership reiterated that people of Jammu and Kashmir will forcefully resist every challenge by New Delhi to change the demography of the State and warned the authorities that if anything adverse to the interests of the people of J&K and its disputed status is announced through the courts a mass people’s agitation will be started instantly across the state and the responsibility of the consequences of that will be entirely on “those forcing us to react.” (GNS)
