SRINAGAR: Mehbooba Mufti, President of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP) and former Chief Minister, addressed the public following the Supreme Court of India’s decision to uphold the abrogation of Article 370. In a video posted on social media, she underscored the importance of resilience in navigating adversity.
Speaking on the Supreme Court’s verdict, Mufti acknowledged it as a setback but asserted that it does not signal the end of their struggle. She reframed the discourse surrounding Article 370, emphasising its temporary nature as a challenge to the original idea of India that had embraced the region.
“The Supreme Court’s pronouncement on Article 370, declaring it as temporary, is not our defeat but the defeat of the secular and democratic idea of India with which we acceded, rejecting the two-nation theory,” said Mufti.
She also stated that the verdict reinforces the notion that J&K’s accession to India is also temporary.
Despite viewing the Supreme Court’s decision as a challenging moment, Mufti urged people to see it as a difficult and temporary phase in their struggle, not the end of the road.
Addressing India beyond Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti warned against the illusion that this development only affects their region.
She said, “The erosion of rights and dignity in J&K could be a precursor to challenges faced by others across the country. Despite celebrating the humiliation and dismemberment by many, I pledge solidarity with those facing similar struggles, promising to stand by them in the defense of genuine rights.”
In response to the ruling party, Mufti added, “The BJP must know the people of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh are hurt, humiliated, and disempowered. We will continue to channel their sentiments and fight for our rights. The Supreme Court’s judgment is a letdown, but we always believed it was a political issue, and we will pursue it with the same spirit—through peaceful, democratic resistance to the BJP.”
