Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on August 2 said the entire world was watching the Supreme Court hear the petitions challenging the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, and “will get to decide whether India has to run as per Constitution or the agenda of particular party”.
“The entire world is watching the SC hearing. Prior to 2019 elections, India was run as per the Constitution. Now, India is being run as per the agenda of a party, which could illegally abrogate the constitutional guarantees provided to people of J&K. The SC needs to see if India has to run as per the Constitution or the agenda of a party,” Ms. Mufti, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, said.
She said all the institutions of the country had been subverted. “It’s only the SC that can save the Constitution now. It’s not easy for the SC given what is happening in the country. It remains to be seen if the SC is ready to take risks. We saw that when the Allahabad court gave a judgment against Indira Gandhi [in 1975],” Ms. Mufti said.
She said the people of Jammu and Kashmir, despite being a Muslim majority State in 1947, rejected the two-nation theory and joined hands with democratic and secular India. “We have a distinct identity. We believe that the distinct identity has been safeguarded by the Constitution through Article 370. It was a beautiful example of India’s federal structure. Then in 2019, this relationship was done away with illegally,” Ms. Mufti said.
