Sajad Lone promises Article 370 restoration, judicial probe into 1987 J&K election rigging

Srinagar, Sep 5 (IANS) Sajad Gani Lone, the president of Peoples Conference (PC), on Thursday, promised to fight for the Restoration of Article 370, the pre-2019 status of J&K and setting up a judicial commission to probe electoral rigging in 1987.

Releasing the election manifesto here, Sajad Lone said that the party is committed to fighting for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A and the pre-2019 constitutional status of J&K . It also promised to set up a judicial commission to probe the electoral rigging in 1987 that is considered to be a cause of the terrorism in the valley.

“We will support all efforts within and outside the legislative forums to restore the pre-2019 constitutional position of J&K,” says the manifesto.

The PC had also challenged the abrogation of Article 370 in the Supreme Court. In its manifesto, the party said that it stands by its commitment to undertake all exhaustive measures to pursue the cause of the restoration of Article 370 and the return of statehood.

“We will set up a judicial commission to probe the murder of democracy in 1987 and hold its perpetrators accountable. It is our firm belief that the source of major socio-political instability that continues to mar Kashmir even today is a derivative of that one cataclysmic event. The Great Robbery of 1987, that of our rights, our young, our lives and our collective destiny needs to be brought to account. We promised to put an end to blacklisting of Kashmiris by security agencies. The practice that debars them from getting government jobs, passports and contracts is inhuman and regrettable."

“We will strive to end arbitrary attachment of properties, destructive demolition drives and unwarranted terminations. We will strive to repeal the Public Safety Act (PSA) and other draconian laws which have been indiscriminately used to punish Kashmiris in the past three decades. We will revive the July 13 Martyrs Day holiday to safeguard the ethos associated with Kashmiris," the manifesto says.

“We will provide free electricity to BPL families, land ownership rights to poor dwellers, waiving off KCC loans, fast-track recruitments, revival of old pension scheme, transfer policy for female ReT teachers,” the party promised in its manifesto.

Sajad Gani Lone fought the Lok Sabha elections but finished third. Incarcerated Engineer Rashid defeated Omar Abdullah and Sajad Gani Lone in the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency.

Lone’s party was part of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) headed by National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah. The PC chief, however, left the alliance after developing differences with the constituents.