Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 2: The Jammu Province People Forum (JPPF) today strongly opposed the continuation of Art 35 A in the State and said that it was most discriminatory for the J&K people.
In a meeting held here today under the chairmanship of retired Session Judge Pavittar Singh Bhardwaj the president of the Forum, the members discussed a number of issues with main impetus on the implications of Article 35-A of the Constitution of India.
Dayasagar, senior journalist (columnist) defined the Art 35 A and its discriminatory nature in conflict with Article 14, 15 and 16 of the Indian Constitution. He proposed the subjects for immediate, legitimate and possible corrections in the constitution of Jammu & Kashmir among others in some salient cases such as Rights of Women Permanent Residents of J&K regarding choosing a life partner, 5300 families of 1947 POJK DPs who were state subjects of princely state of J&K now residing in other Indian States have been in a way disowned by state taking shelter under an Act of J&K Legislature passed in 1971, rights for 1947 West Pakistan Refugees who are possessing and cultivating lands in J&K since more than 7 decades as allotted in terms of Govt Notification No 578/C of 1954 keeping in view that during Maharaja times State subject Class III was granted after 10 years. Similarly, rights to rightful locals like 200 Valmiki/Safaikaramchari families could also be addressed in the constitution.
Pavittar Singh Bhardwaj warned the forces inimical to the national integrity of the country of their nefarious designs to create unrest and chaos in the state with rumours to destabilize the peaceful atmosphere, religious amity, communal harmony and brotherhood in the society. The outcome of the Article 35A whether to retain or to go is the legal matter and shall be decided by the Apex Court and should be welcome to one and all.
KB Jandyal (Rtd IAS officer) said that under the J&K Constitution there is ample provision of defining Permanent Residents under Section 8 and the state is fully empowered to declare anybody as permanent resident whether Safai Karamamchari families, Gorkhas or West Pakistan Refugees. There is a fear psychosis in the valley that the abrogation of Article 35 A shall shatter the Muslim majority state status which he dismissed and clarified by quoting states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab where a person from outside cannot purchase land or get Govt employment without production of Domicile certificate.
Narayan Singh, MS Katoch, Inderjeet Khajuria, ML Sharma, Avinash Bhatia, RS Jamwal, Rajinder Gupta, Balwan Singh, Gurmeet Singh Isher Prof OP Sharma, Prof Darshan Bhatia, Pritam Sharma, Pawan Sharma, Rajeev Mahajan, Naresh Thapa, Surinder Veer, Ayub Katoch, Dalbir Singh also spoke on the occasion.
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