NC for discussion on J&K situation in Parliament

Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 14

On the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on Monday, the National Conference (NC) demanded discussion on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A on August 5 last year.

Three NC MPs, led by Farooq Abdullah, the driving force behind the “Gupkar declaration” of August 4, 2019, and its reiteration on August 22 this year, have written a letter to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and cited what they described as “unprecedented situation in the region in the wake of the unilateral, unconstitutional and undemocratic rescinding of Article 370 and 35A. Mohammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi, two other MPs of the party, have also signed the letter.

Oxygen shortage issue raised

• Farooq Abdullah expressed grave concern over the shortage of oxygen in Jammu hospitals, saying the situation was reportedly worrisome, particularly in the wake of the alarming spike in the Covid cases during the past one week.
• He was responding to the Union Health Minister during the zero hour in Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon Session. The Tribune was the first to highlight this issue.

They asserted that the measures taken by the Centre, “besides giving a lie to the sovereign commitments of the country to the people of J&K”, have pushed the entire region into a precarious situation.

Contesting the Centre’s narrative that the violence has come down in Kashmir post abrogation, the MPs asserted that “there has been a surge in the incidents of violence and skirmishes on the LoC and LAC almost on a daily basis”.

They said there had been no thaw in violence-related incidents inside J&K as well and the situation was nowhere near what was promised after abrogation. So far, the situation in the entire region has brought to front our valid apprehensions, the promised development and creation of jobs are still not perceptible on ground, they added.