Srinagar, August 15
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday exuded confidence in the Supreme Court of India for taking a right decision on a plea regarding the possible abrogation of Article 35A that grants special rights to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

“We have full faith in the Supreme Court…. It has always taken right decisions whenever some people have tried to raise their fingers” against the State of Jammu and Kashmir, she said while addressing the main Independence Day function at Bakshi Stadium here today.

Mehbooba Mufti asserted that J&K has a distinct identity among all the States in the country.

The main function was held under tight security arrangements amid a bandh called by the separatist organisations. Senior PDP leaders, ministers, legislators, former Chief Minister and Working President of the opposition National Conference alongwith his party legislators also attended the function. The ID celebrations were also peacefully concluded at other district headquarters across the region.

The Chief Minister said people of J&K under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah decided to be a part of this country and showed the light as people of all faiths live in this state. In view of the circumstances, Mehbooba said Parliament decided on granting a special position to the state in the Constitution. But, she lamented that mistakes were committed both by the fovernments in Delhi and the state, which led to the differences.

Referring to the Indo-Pak confrontations over Kashmir issue, the Chief Minister said it had led to the sufferings of the people in Jammu and Kashmir during the past 30 years. In this connection she referred to the recent statement of the Minister for External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj that India was not for war and expressed the hope that Pakistan would “stop its role in J&K”.

Mehbooba said all issues can be solved through a dialogue process and that was the only way for restoration of peace in the region.

Mehbooba lamented that the youth, who should be holding pen in their hands, were wielding Klashinkov guns costing Rs 6 lakh and sought to end this menace for peace, progress and development in the State. She said that J&K was witnessing a retarded growth despite of being rich with natural resources of water and forests and pointed out that other States were progressing ahead with basic infrastructure, foreign investments and an end to unemployment.