Suhail Bhat
The Jammu and Kashmir Nationalist Peoples Front candidate for Baramulla Parliamentary constituency, Muneer Ahmad Khan, today sought Constitutional guarantee for land and job rights for the people of J&K.
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In an exclusive interview to Excelsior, Khan whose elder brother, Nayeem Ahmad Khan is a senior Hurriyat Conference leader who is jailed for the last 7 years, said that he wants Constitutional guarantee for the land and job rights to the people of J&K.
”We want a Constitutional guarantee on land and job rights for Jammu and Kashmir, but to achieve that, we first need representation in the Central Government,” he said.
Khan said that the MPs of the regional parties in Kashmir 2019 didn’t raise the issue of land and job rights for locals when Articles 370 and 35A were scrapped and now they are raising Article 370 issues to deceive people.
“During the abrogation of Article 370, there were MPs present in the Parliament, but they did not discuss these crucial issues. They should have asked for steps after abrogating Articles 370 and 35A. Instead, MPs returned without addressing the concerns and are now using it as an election issue to deceive the people,” he said.
The JKNPF candidate said that he believes that seeking restoration of Article 370 is not a realistic approach.
“While it has been deeply ingrained in the public’s mind that it might be restored, I do not see that as a realistic possibility. Regardless of Article 370’s status, we have to live here, and we must seek ways to ensure a better future. My stance is that previous leaders have already hollowed out Article 370,” he added.
He said that a major chunk of the population is suffering and they want their issue to be addressed on humanitarian grounds.
“…youth are worried about being searched by the Special Operations Group of the police or having to present themselves at the Police Station for old cases, instead of demanding a library or an IT park in their area. These are the major issues confronting our society, and they need to be addressed. A significant portion of the population is inactive, and until they are included, true development and progress are impossible,” he said.
Khan wants that as a community, people should seek forgiveness for the past mistakes from the Government of India. “I will seek forgiveness on behalf of my community and tell the Government that I want to write a bond on behalf of everyone. Please forgive them; they will not repeat these mistakes, as the Constitution itself grants them at least one chance,” he said.
He said that a general amnesty should be granted, at least for those involved in minor offences. “If this proves successful, the same approach could be extended to those involved in more serious cases,” he added.
Regarding his brother, Khan said that he has his own ideology. He said that his appeal to his brother and the whole community is to work together for a better future.
“I appeal not only to my brother but to the entire community to look beyond divisions. We have created distinctions between separatism and mainstream politics, and we need to move beyond them. We should work together as a community, transcending party, sects, and other barriers, to create a better future for Kashmir,” he added.
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