It Would Be Do Or Die In Kashmir

More than a month has passed since the Union government voided Articles 370 and 35A amid a massive clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir.

- Tariq Bhat

Political leaders, workers and activists continue to be under detention, and some of them have been charged with the stringent Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act and lodged in prisons outside the state.

The communication blockade has been partially lifted—landlines have been restored, but cellphones and the internet continue to be down. Businesses, schools and public transport remain nonfunctional despite the government’s efforts to restore normalcy. Militants have used subtle and coercive means to prolong the shutdown. They recently shot dead a shopkeeper at Parimpora in Srinagar and fired at four fruit-sellers and a toddler.

While life has largely returned to normal in Jammu and Ladakh, Kashmir seems to be staring at a prolonged shutdown. The government’s biggest worry is bridging the political vacuum created by the mass detentions. All except two political leaders—first-time MPs Mohammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference—have been detained. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, the first by a Kashmiri politician since the clampdown began, Lone said the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was unconstitutional. He said he hoped that the Supreme Court would strike it down. Excerpts:

Q/ On what grounds has the National Conference challenged the voiding of Articles 370 and 35A in the Supreme Court?

A/ No amendment can be done to Article 370 unless it is proposed by the J&K constituent assembly. Unless there is a recommendation by the J&K constituent assembly or the state assembly, the president cannot amend Article 370. What they have done is illegal.