Sajad Lone was released in July this year.
Srinagar:
The BJP deserves credit for uniting all parties in Jammu and Kashmir in an unprecedented alliance to demand the restoration of the former state’s special status, Kashmiri politician Sajad Lone said on Friday, stating that as “inhabitants and not tourists” they will outlive the central government. .
The decision to remove the constitutional autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir by the center was “myopic and born of hatred,” Lone told NDTV, a day after regional teams shed decades-long rivalries to fight together for the restoration of the Article 370. of the constitution.
Former BJP-PDP government minister and now a key architect of the bloc called “People’s Alliance”, Mr. Lone said he “felt like an outsider” after he was released from a year-long detention and saw that “strangers” had seized the reins of Jammu and Kashmir.
Lone, who was detained along with hundreds of political leaders after the center announced the move last August, was released on July 31 of this year. He said that the joint fight for the restoration of Article 370 will be within the framework of the constitution and will seek to end violence and uncertainty.
“This is a collective mechanism and mainly what was ours has been taken from us. We will fight peacefully, within the scope of the constitution, as is the right in every part of the country,” said Mr. Lone.
“We are here to stay, as inhabitants of the state. We are not tourists. National governments come and go. We must resist any decision of the national government so our children will have to face consequences. It is our moral duty to confront,” he said.
He said the center did not show a “sense of belonging” by arresting and jailing leaders in Kashmir. It alleges that the August 5 decision was “motivated by hatred.”
“The decision of August 5 was very shortsighted and due to hatred, unfortunately. The national government is a ‘maai baap’ (patents) for everyone. Maai baap does not lock you up, it imprisons you. treat the same as the rest of the country, “he said.
Traditionally bitter political rivals, the National Conference, the People’s Democratic Party or PDP, the People’s Conference, and other groups have decided to keep their individual rivalries on hold and fight together to restore Article 370.
The new political bloc will be led by the leader of the National Conference, Farooq Abdullah, Lone said, adding that they should thank the BJP-led central government for the unthinkable pairing in Kashmir.
“We should thank Delhi for this alliance, for joining us. Delhi has become the perfect match,” he said.
He claimed that the launch of officials from other states from the air to take over the reins of government in Jammu and Kashmir was “a disaster”.
“Everything has changed. People who do not belong to this place have taken over. It is a lot of people who have no idea of the problems and the history of this place. It is a very disastrous situation,” he said.
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