The Supreme Court will hear the pleas challenging the validity of Article 35A this week from February 26-28th.
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The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday, however, stated that only an elected government of J&K would be able to take a stand on Article 35A. Senior bureaucrat Rohit Kansal, the chief spokesperson of the governor’s administration said, “The stand of the state government on the request of deferment of hearing on Article 35A in the Supreme Court remains the same as requested by them on February 11.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistanis have claimed that any proposed changes to the Article was an attempt to impose demographic changes on the state. “Pakistan condemns any such attempts as these are clearly aimed at bringing about demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir,” it said in a statement.
Speculations have been rife in the state as well after the Central government has organized a massive crackdown on Jamaat-e-Islami and arrested numerous leaders of the separatist outfit. JKLF leader Yasin Malik was arrested as well.
Article 35A of the Indian Constitution empowers the state government of Jammu and Kashmir to define ‘permanent residents’ of the state and provide them with special rights and privileges accordingly.