'Ugly Reminder Of Complete Disempowerment Of Kashmiris': Sajad Lone On Article 370 Abrogation Anniversary

In a post on X, the former separatist and People's Conference Chairman said that August 5, 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated "will always be an ugly reminder of the complete disempowerment of the Kashmiri people" while lamenting the absence of elected government in the region.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): As abrogation of Article 370, which gave a special status to erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state under the Indian Constitution, completed five years on Monday, former separatist and People's Conference chairman Sajad Lone lamented the lack of an elected Assembly in the region.

Lone further lamented the absence of influential voices in India advocating for Jammu and Kashmir's rights.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Lone stated, "August 5 will always be an ugly reminder of the complete disempowerment of the Kashmiri people. Five years on there is no elected Assembly and the locals have no say in running their own affairs. And sadly there aren’t enough powerful voices in the country to seek questions as to why J and K has been selectively targeted for such humiliating existence”.

Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir have been overdue since the last elections in 2014, when the region was a state and the PDP-BJP coalition government was formed. This coalition ended when the BJP withdrew support from Mehbooba Mufti on June 18, 2018.

Following the abrogation of Article 370, the BJP government reorganized the state into two Union Territories, Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir, placing them under the administration of Lieutenant Governors.

Political parties have consistently demanded the restoration of statehood and the holding of assembly elections. The opposition Congress party has been protesting for the past two weeks, calling for these changes.

In response, the Election Commission of India, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, will visit the Union Territory from August 8-10 to review election preparations. Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and SS Sandhu, will assess the readiness for the upcoming assembly elections.