New Delhi | Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday demanded the constitutional and legal status of the state and restoration of Article 370 in the Valley. Coming out of the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said he told the Prime Minister that Article 370 was abrogated unconstitutionally and without taking the local government into confidence. “It was done illegally. This was the 70-year-old agenda of the BJP and they fulfilled it,” he said.
Mufti said that he told the Prime Minister that if he wanted to remove Article 370, he should have done so keeping the people informed.
There is fear among people since the abrogation of Article 370 as law enforcement agencies are putting common people behind bars on the basis of mere suspicion.
He demanded compensation to those who suffered due to the lockdown after the abrogation of Article 370.
The former chief minister said India should also initiate talks with Pakistan as they did so to prevent ceasefire violations. “The government should start talks with Pakistan to start a business on the border,” he said.
The leaders of Jammu and Kashmir met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and stressed the resumption of the political process in the Valley.
The all-party meeting lasted for three and a half hours at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. It was attended by 14 leaders including veteran politician and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah.
