‘Declare Srinagar capital or restore Darbar’
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Oct 25: Member of Parliament from North Kashmir and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) Chief, Engineer Abdul Rashid, today said that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has forgotten Article 370 and is now seeking “crippled” Statehood from the centre.
He also demanded that either Srinagar be declared the permanent capital of J&K, or the tradition of the Darbar Move be restored within one month.
To press these demands, he led a protest demonstration from Exhibition ground to the Civil Secretariat, where he then addressed the media. He was joined by scores of party workers and leaders.
In his address, Engineer Rashid stated that while Omar must meet with the national leadership, he also has an obligation to convey the hardships faced by the people of J&K.
“He can meet PM Modi and Amit Shah, but now he seems to have forgotten Article 370 and 35-A. He (Omar) is now speaking about ‘langdi looli’ Statehood,” Rashid remarked.
The MP went on to say that while the Chief Minister must meet these leaders, “we want Omar to, apart from pleasantries, look PM Modi in the eye and tell him that J&K has been subjected to injustice, which we will not accept.”
On the occasion, he reiterated that the Government should either declare Srinagar as the permanent capital of J&K or work to restore the tradition of the Darbar Move.
“Do one of the two; we are giving the Government a one-month deadline. If the demand is not fulfilled, we will take to the streets,” he warned.
He stressed that the Darbar Move is about more than “saving a few crores,” noting that people in both Jammu and Kashmir are suffering and that “confusion” persists on many matters.
“People from Jammu don’t know where their files are, and the same is true for those in Kashmir. The Darbar Move isn’t about money; it’s about cultural integration between the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he explained.
The MP stated that Omar Abdullah had promised to restart the Darbar Move soon after the Government was formed. “Today is the 25th, and it should have already happened. People are facing issues, and we came here to remind him of this promise.”
He said the people had mandated the AIP to ensure that they could speak freely without fear and to continue the constitutional fight for the restoration of their rights.
“Article 370 was taken from us, as were 35-A, our statehood, and our identity, but we will not let this stand. We know how to fight, and we know how to win,” he declared.
Addressing Home Minister Amit Shah, the MP said: “Don’t make J&K an experimental lab for petty politics. We will not allow this to happen, and do not mistake our silence for weakness.”
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