SRINAGAR: Independent MLA Abdul Rashid Sheikh today appealed to people of Jammu and Ladakh provinces to support the two-day strike call in support of Article 35-A of the Constitution.
He asked mainstream parties like the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to persuade the Central government to stop blackmailing people of the state in the name of the constitutional provision.
"No doubt Article 35-A needs to be defended tooth and nail in the Supreme Court but one should not forget that primarily it is a political issue as the Supreme Court is being used as a route to demoralise Kashmiris and make them defensive," Sheikh told reporters here.
He claimed that it was the Central government, which "through its proxies" had been dragging Article 35-A and other related provisions to the Supreme Court in order to implement its agenda.
"As such the wishes and designs of the Union government mean a lot for the Supreme Court. It is obvious that 'Sang Parivar' is dragging Article 35-A and Article 370 to the Supreme Court for political reasons as such the move can be better resisted through political means," he said.
Sheikh said building mass pressure on New Delhi is a must and at the same time mainstream parties can play a vital role by asking the Centre to stop doing "all sorts of nonsense, including its designs to abrogate Article 35-A and other related provisions".
He alleged that as the Centre has often used mainstream parties as a tool to mislead the world by projecting them as real representatives of Kashmiris, "it is high time for the mainstream parties to prove their sincerity to the masses".
"Isn't it strange that while every Kashmiri is worried about the fate of Article 35-A, New Delhi is more interested in conducting Panchayat and Municipal polls?" he asked.
He appealed to people of Jammu and Ladakh provinces to rise to the occasion and understand the significance of Article 35-A.
"They must support all those voices seeking preservation of Article 35-A and other related provisions," he said.