Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday warned the Narendra Modi-led Centre not to meddle with Article 35A in the Kashmir Valley, tinkering which, she said, would be like playing with fire.
"35A ke saath chhedd chhadd karna baarood ko haath lagaane ke baraabar hoga. Jo haath 35A ke saath chhedd chaadd karne ke liye uthenge wo haath hi nahi wo saara jism jal ke raakh ho jayega (Tinkering with Article 35A will be akin to setting powder keg on fire. If any hand tries to touch Article 35A, not only that hand, but the whole body will be burnt into ashes)," Mehbooba said at a party event in Srinagar.
Earlier, Mehbooba had criticised the Centre's decision to deploy an additional 10,000 paramilitary forces in the state. She said it had created "doubts" and "fear psychosis" among the people. "Security personnel are being brought in here which is not right. It is creating doubts among the people," she said.
"There is no dearth of security forces in Kashmir. J&K is a political problem which won't be solved by military means. GOI needs to rethink & overhaul its policy," she had tweeted.
Countering Mufti's charges, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi said the former CM should stop worrying about terrorists. "The Centre's move to deploy security forces is to ensure the safety of the people. Terrorists should be worried, not the common people."
OPINION
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MEHBOOBA IS RABBLE-ROUSING
I think Mehbooba Mufti is rabble-rousing. Article 35(A) was brought in through an executive order and can be stuck down through an executive order. It is not like Article 370. Thanks to 35 (A), voters in Kashmir can cast their ballot in Lok Sabha polls, but not in the assembly elections. Mufti perhaps has her eyes on the state polls. September-October is when infiltration takes place. Imran Khan has said that there are 40,000 extremists in Pakistan. They will either be sent to Kashmir or Afghanistan.
–Kulbir Krishan, former top home ministry official
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