Srinagar, July 27: Hurriyat Conference (M) and Jamia Masjid’s head cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said that as the date of hearing for Article 35A is approaching, people of Kashmir are keenly watching the events around the article, saying that tinkering with 35 A is part of the “colonial approach” to Kashmir.

“People of Kashmir are cautiously and carefully watching the events around 35A as it comes up for hearing on 6th August in Indian Supreme Court, Kashmiris will not take such machinations against them lying low and will oppose them tooth and nail. People will hit the streets and resist it forcefully. The resulting consequences will entirely be the responsibility of those who will force people to take drastic steps,” he said while addressing a gathering on Friday congregational prayers at Jamia Masjid here.

Mirwaiz said that in 2014 the RSS backed Non-Governmental organization, ‘We the citizens’ filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India challenging the validity of article 35A.

Mirwaiz said that the agenda behind this petition is no secret and is well known. “It is a part of the BJP RSS plan of changing the demographic nature of Jammu and Kashmir by doing away with the hereditary state subject law of the state and flooding it with people from India,” Mirwaiz said.

“This is being done so that J&K can be fully integrated and assimilated with India, its disputed status completely undermined and the issue of settlement of this dispute in accordance with the wishes of its state subjects as guaranteed by UN and ratified by India and Pakistan, dissolved forever,” he said.

Mirwaiz said people of J&K were first tricked into an accession limited to three things with the democratic promise of a plebiscite and then year after year every vestige of sovereignty comprised and snatched from them, till things have come to such a pass where people of J&K have been reduced to subjects and J&K ruled as a colony of India, where GOI does as it wills with scant respect for the concerns of its inhabitants.

He said tinkering with 35 A is part of this “colonial” approach to Kashmir.

Mirwaiz reiterated that people of J&K are “simply asking for their just right of the settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the democratic tradition of self-determination”.

“Once again we appeal to GOI to give up its obduracy and settle this dispute in keeping with this democratic tradition rather than resorting to coercion and use of force,” he said.