Srinagar, Aug 4 (PTI) People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday led the party’s candlelight march here ahead of the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Articles 370 and 35A were abrogated by the Rajya Sabha on August 5, 2019.
Scores of PDP leaders and workers assembled at the party headquarters near Sher-e-Kashmir Park here on Tuesday evening, and tried to take out a candlelight march towards the city centre.
However, police stopped them, leading the PDP president and her party colleagues to hold a sit-in outside the party office.
She held two flags in her hands — the Tricolour and the official flag of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Carrying placards, the PDP leaders and workers raised slogans calling for restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A.
Addressing her workers, Mehbooba termed August 4 night as the “blackest night” for J-K.
“This night is the blackest night for J-K. A conspiracy was hatched on this night and Articles 370 and 35A were revoked from J-K. Article 370 was not given to us by Pakistan or China, but the constitution of this country,” she said.
Mehbooba said the BJP government “robbed” J-K’s special status “the way they robbed Shri Ram’s temple in Ayodhya”.
“Article 370 was our protection, our dignity and identity; it protected our identity, land and jobs. The trampling of Ambedkar’s Constitution started from Kashmir, and is now being done across the country,” she said.
However, she asserted that her party and the people of J-K would “struggle for the resolution of Kashmir issue and Article 370, and also for the release of prisoners”.
“If the government claims that the situation has improved, then the Army should be sent back to the barracks,” she added.
She also sought the reopening of cross-LoC trade and routes. PTI SSB KSS KSS
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