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| Azad hails citizens for raising voice against discrimination with J&K | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 12: Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad has saluted all prominent citizens of J&K who stood and signed petition against state re-organization and abrogation of Article 370.
The news which was published in international and national newspapers and news portals went viral on social media with the headline, "Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and Dogras condemned abrogation of Article 370". In a letter written in response to the petition of the citizen, Azad said, "I salute your courage and conviction for unanimously and unconditionally rising to the occasion and condemning the unilateral , unconstitutional and undemocratic decision of the GOI to revoke the article 370 and down grading the state to the status of a Union Territory without taking the people of Jammu and Kashmir into confidence. I was feeling so hurt and isolated till your statement of unity and brotherhood appeared in the media. It is not a matter of region or religion, it is a question of our identity, which has been erased in one sweeping stroke by the ruling GOI. We are proud people who take great pride in celebrating the ethnic and religious diversity of the state of Jammu , Kashmir and Ladakh. A state recognized as a symbol of secularism, a state which maintained the tradition of unity and brotherhood for its people. Though divided by huge mountains and rivers, people from different regions speak and dress differently, yet we were united as one big community ,connected to each other on a much deeper level , tied by our common love for our mother land and its people who helped one another in the darkest hours.
During my long political career, I've had the great fortune to visit over 100 countries and the respect, love and affection I got by virtue of being a domicile of the great state of Jammu and Kashmir region is unbelievable. Henceforth, if at all I get any opportunity to represent my country I have to introduce myself a domicile of the union territories of India. I write this with tears in my eyes and pain in my heart, I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that this would happen to my state and the innocent and trusting people of my state.
This was a state which was expanded by Maharaja Hari Singh's forefathers, brick by brick and this was the state for which thousands of Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits and Sikh brothers and sisters of Jammu region had shed their blood from time to time. My heart also bleeds for thousands of widows and family members of the security forces and police who have lost their lives in Jammu and Kashmir trying to fight militancy. But inspite of this huge loss of our thousands and thousands of brave youth, men, women and security forces, what have the people got in return? A divided state and two union territories." "From being celebrated as a state of Jammu and Kashmir headed by a Maharaja of one of the biggest Princely state of the country till 1947 and then ruled by the Prime Minister as head of the Government and Sadar-e-Riyasat as head of the state. Subsequently, Governor and Chief Ministers as head of the state and head of the Government respectively and now, downgraded to a union territory which will be headed by an Lieutenant Governor, officer equivalent to a Joint Secretary of the Government of India. Therefore, all these changes have to be understood, by each one of us, keeping religion, region and personal likings aside and work together to get our statehood and identity back" Azad wrote. |
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