SRINAGAR: The People’s Conference said August 5 will be remembered as a “dark day” and a “day of disempowerment” in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

It said the day is a reminder of the humiliation that the people of J-K were subjected to three years ago, referring to the revocation of the erstwhile state’s special status under Article 370 and its bifurcation into union territories by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

“August 5 will perpetually be remembered as a dark day and a day of disempowerment in the history of J-K,” the People’s Conference (PC) said in a statement issued on the eve of the third anniversary of the nullification of Article 370.

The party said the National Conference-PDP alliance and the BJP government at the Centre have miserably failed to keep their commitments after the revocation of the special status of the erstwhile state.

“While the former has endorsed further decline by their deceptive conduct in the political identity of J-K, the latter is continuing to disempower masses of the erstwhile state of J-K,” it alleged.

“Though as an eyewash, senior leaders of the government had assured the nation on the floor of the House that our rights will be restored to heal the wounds inflicted on the people of J-K,” the party said.

However, three years have passed but they have failed to even give the rights to the state to have a representative government, it said.

“While the citizens of this country outside J-K enjoy the basic right of electing their own representatives, it is a pity that the people of J-K have been denied this very basic right in a functioning democracy,” it added.

“The constitutional guarantees given to the erstwhile state of J&K had emanated from a popular political government in Delhi and popular leaders of the state in 1947,” reads the statement issued by Peoples Conference.

“However, through a perpetual process of disempowerment, J&K has been stripped of its identity and the inhabitants of the state have been rendered helpless. We are at a stage where neither the government nor the public opinion is in our favour. We can only plead to the people of India to back us in our fight to secure our rights in the union of India,” the party said in a statement.

“When we were stripped of our identity the so-called popular regional parties did not even put a symbolic resistance. They got exposed when they met the PM at the All Parties Meeting where they spoke in different languages and did not make an effort to arrive at a consensus among all those who are claiming to fight for the restoration of constitutional guarantees,” it said.

“When the PAGD was formed, there were more than two signatories. Now the alliance is reduced to two families who have been part of crucial decisions at all times which brought the state to this passé. We were ripped apart because of the attitude of these two families. They have always hurt the interests of the people of J&K either through connivance or compromise with Delhi. Peoples Conference cannot and will not be a party to another fraud,” it added.

“As founded against the erosion of Autonomy in 1978, the Peoples Conference stands committed to safeguard the basic rights, dignity and honour of the people of J&K. We will consult all stakeholders, people across the board and engage all elements in society to reach a consensus on how to pursue the legitimate fight for rights and dignity of the people of J&K,” said peoples conference in a statement.

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