New Delhi: A Member of Parliament from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, has demanded the restoration of Article 370, saying that the issue of occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood cannot be separated from the restoration of the constitutional provision.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the National Conference MP from Srinagar made the remarks while addressing a protest organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Addressing the gathering, Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said the constitutional rights and identity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir must be restored. He maintained that any struggle for justice would remain incomplete without reinstatement of Article 370, which was revoked by the Indian government on August 5, 2019.
He urged the protesters to continue their peaceful democratic struggle for constitutional and political rights, asserting that people’s voices must be heard in a democratic system.
The MP also drew parallels between the grievances of students participating in the protest and the situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that the people of the territory had faced years of political and constitutional changes without their consent.
The protest, which began over irregularities in the NEET examination and students’ concerns, later expanded to include broader political issues, including demands related to Article 370 and the rights of the people of IIOJK.
The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 stripped Kashmir of its special status and was followed by the bifurcation of the territory into two union territories.