Monitor News Bureau
Srinagar, Apr 3: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday that the relation of Jammu and Kashmir with India will end if the terms and conditions of the state’s accession to the Union were changed.
“2020 will also be a deadline from Jammu and Kashmir to the nation. If you remove those terms and conditions on which Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India, our relation with the country will also end,” Mehbooba told reporters after filing her nomination papers from the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency.
The former chief minister was responding to BJP president Amit Shah’s assertion that Article 35-A, which guarantees special status to Jammu and Kashmir in terms of residency rights, will be repealed by 2020.
On the Congress manifesto, Mehbooba said it was “word by word same” as the Agenda of Alliance agreed upon between her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and the BJP at the time of government formation in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015.
“Congress manifesto is same as what Mufti Mohammad Sayeed kept in Agenda of Alliance with BJP…status quo on Article 370, revocation of AFSPA, holding dialogue and reducing army footprint from civilian areas. It is word by word the same thing,” she asserted.
Along with Mehbooba, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congers Committee president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, National Conference leader, Retired Justice Hasnain Masoodi and Peoples Conference candidate Choudhary Zaffar Khatana too filed their nomination papers for the South Kashmir constituency.
NC candidate was accompanied by former chief minister Omar Abdullah while as PDC candidate was accompanied by former minister Imran Raza Ansari.
Congress candidate for Lok Sabha constituency in South Kashmir and party’s state president, told media persons that the party is not resorting to ‘Jumla bazi’ but will literally serve on the ground.
“There are political parties who went against the aspirations of people but we (Congress) will go before the people so that their voice will be raised in the parliament. I am committed to raise voice of South Kashmir people in parliament,” he said.
He said that he hope people from South Kashmir will come out and cast their ballots and vote in favour of elections. “People from every nook and corner of Kashmir after yesterday’s manifesto are in favour of Congress. People believe that Congress is a country itself,” he said.
About Article 370, 35A statement by BJP, he said people had given them a full majority but they couldn’t do that and now when they know, they can’t come to the power, they have resorted to such hollow promises.
