After Omar, Lone to contest on 2 seats
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sep 5: People’s Conference president Sajad Lone today said that his party will fight for the restoration of Statehood, Article 370 and resolution of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
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While releasing the manifesto here today, Lone said that his party promises to fight for the restoration of Article 370 and Statehood, as well as for the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir issue.
The party also promised to strive for the repeal of laws like AFSPA, PSA and Enemy Agents Ordinance and make efforts towards the release of political prisoners. It also assured to work towards a dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits if elected to power.
The PC chief said that passing a resolution on Article 370 in the Assembly is just a “moral thing” as special status of J&K can only be restored by Parliament.
Lone said Article 35A can be partially restored in the J&K Assembly if its Statehood is restored. “We can pass some parts of it in the Assembly here like Himachal Pradesh did,” he said.
“We will all together have to agitate for the restoration of Article 370,” he said.
“A day should come where we should all agitate as a part of a federal solution. The problem is in the name. They have defamed Article 370 so much that every normal, unsuspecting Indian thinks that it is perhaps a conspiracy against India, which is not,” he said.
The PC chief said that Article 370 is a federal arrangement and such arrangements are across the world.
“It is a federal arrangement, a federal solution, made with many provinces… And across the world, such arrangements have been there for the last 200 years. I believe as Indian democracy evolves, a day will come when we will have a federal solution at par with (Article) 370,” he said.
Lone said he would likely contest from two seats-Handwara and Kupwara. “I have been contesting from Handwara, but am under pressure from the people of Kupwara segment to contest from there. So, most likely, I will contest from two seats,” he added.
The PC chief said BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav’s remarks that ex-militants were made to benefit the National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
“Ram Madhav is not a child. He knows there are 99.9 per cent Muslims here and BJP is seen as an anti-Muslim party. His statements are there to benefit, to help NC and PDP. I will pay him Rs 1 lakh to give such statements against me everyday,” he added.
“These statements are meant to maintain the status quo. This is all a lie. They have the Government, if there is any such thing, then let them take action,” he said.
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