J&K Assembly to Debate Statehood Resolution as NC, PDP MLAs Push Article 370 Amendments
Omar Abdullah's statehood resolution comes up for debate in the J&K Assembly, with NC and PDP MLAs moving amendments on Article 370 and 35A.
A resolution seeking the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, moved by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, is set to be taken up for discussion in the Assembly on Monday. Ahead of the debate, legislators from the ruling National Conference and the opposition have filed amendments that go beyond the original text of the resolution.
Six National Conference MLAs — Javid Hassan Baig, Tanvir Sadiq, Ajaz Ahmed Jan, Hilal Akbar Lone, Altaf Ahmad Wani and Choudhary Mohammad Akram — have moved amendments calling for the inclusion of references to Articles 370 and 35A. Their proposals seek to insert language affirming the House's commitment to restoring the constitutional guarantees embodied in the two provisions as they stood before August 5, 2019.
One such amendment, submitted by Tanvir Sadiq, proposes adding after the existing reference to November 6, 2024, a line stating that the House reaffirms its commitment to the restoration of the constitutional guarantees embodied in Articles 370 and 35A as they existed prior to August 5, 2019. The amendments moved by the NC legislators collectively seek the restoration of the pre-August 5, 2019 position, when the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was altered through the dilution of Article 370.
Congress MLA Nizam Ud Din Bhat, who has backed the Chief Minister's resolution, has also filed an amendment. It proposes deleting the full stop at the end of the resolution and adding words describing the statehood demand as a reminder to respect commitments made at various forums and to the deprived people of Jammu and Kashmir.
From the opposition benches, Peoples Democratic Party legislator Waheed Ur Rehman Para has sought the inclusion of a line calling for the restoration of autonomy as well as Articles 370 and 35A in their original form. Another PDP legislator, Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi, has proposed an amendment expressing deep anguish and disapproval over the unilateral measures initiated on and after August 5, 2019, which led to the cessation of Articles 370 and 35A and the reorganisation of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The resolution itself was moved by Omar Abdullah on September 25. It states that, in addition to resolutions passed by the House on June 26, 2000, and November 6, 2024, the Assembly calls upon the Government of India for the immediate and urgent restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, and resolves that the resolution be forwarded to the Government of India.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has strongly objected to the resolution, particularly its reference to the 2000 autonomy resolution, which had sought greater autonomy for the region.