The Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) assembly witnessed another day of turbulence as the members of the legislative body moved a fresh resolution seeking the restoration of the region’s special status as originally enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
The second resolution moved by the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP) met with strong opposition from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (PJV) MLAs, who continued to protest a similar resolution passed by the legislative a day earlier.
The occupied Kashmir’s newly-elected assembly passed the resolution seeking to restore the region’s partial autonomy by a majority vote.
“This assembly calls upon the Government of India to initiate dialogue with elected representatives of people of Jammu and Kashmir for restoration of special status,” the resolution stated.
The National Conference party, which came to power last month in the region’s first vote in a decade and the first since Modi’s Hindu nationalist government scrapped it in August 2019, sponsored the resolution.
In a unilateral move by the Indian parliament, the BJP-led government in the Centre had also downgraded and divided the former state into two centrally governed union territories, Ladakh and IOJK.
Thursday’s strongly worded second resolution seeking the restoration of Articles 370 and 35 (A) of the Constitution in their original form and revocation of the Re-org Act 2019, sparked commotion in the house as the BJP lawmakers scuffled with other MLAs in a bid to snatch copies of the resolution.
The opposition rejected the resolution, saying it was “illegal” and demanded its withdrawal. In response, the speaker said he does not have such powers as anything passed by the House can only be undone by the House itself, Kashmir Observer reported.
The troublemakers were later thrown out of the assy by Sargent at Arms and the proceedings were adjourned till today (Friday).
As per a report by Daily Sabah, the resolution requires the approval of Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha, New Delhi’s appointed top administrator in an IOJK.
In response to the resolution, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi boasted that “no power” in the world can restore IOJK’s partial autonomy as he had “buried the wall of Article 370 in the graveyard”.
