The State of Jammu and Kashmir has been in the headlines for years now, be it the deteriorating condition of the State due to frequent terror attacks or the status of this piece of land as an Indian State. Before making any further judgements, its time we look into the matter according to the facts. The debatable Article 370 was drafted under Part XXI (Part 21) of the Indian Constitution which deals with “Temporary, Transitional and Special provisions” of a state.
This Article provided a special status to the state of Jammu & Kashmir, with some added advantages in comparison to the other states of India. With the Article coming into effect from 1949, none of the provisions of the Constitution was applied to the state until the state legislative assembly passed such provisions separately. Along with Article 370, another Article 35A was passed, stating that r people from outside the state were restricted in terms of acquiring land and State subject (identity to be a permanent resident of J&K).
The Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah on 5th of August 2019, announced the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Indian Constitution which granted the state of J&K special status. He also introduced a bifurcation of the state into two Union territories – Jammu and Kashmir (with a legislature) and Ladakh (without a legislature). The changes came into effect from 1st of November,2019.
Now, there isn’t a separate flag for J&K, the Right to Information & Right to Education will be applicable, and the duration of the legislative assembly will be for five years, unlike the prior six years. A woman from J&K can still retain her citizenship and rights even if she marries someone from another state. This gives a sense of unity throughout the State with Pvt sectors investing in the state to boost the economy. The youth is said to have better work opportunities and better medical facilities from the central government.
The matter of fact is that the people of the valley don’t seem to be happy with the sudden scrapping of the article as there has been a total lockdown in the state for the last three months. The state was not allowed to showcase their happiness or despair as communication was blocked. All the secrecy around the amendment has led people into fear about security. People fear the government of taking similar steps in other states with no say from the citizens living within the state. Such one-sided reforms can be a threat to our democracy. There has = been a lot of sexist comments from the people of other states of marrying a Kashmiri girl without losing their citizenship which should be strongly condemned by the government.
Now, only time will tell if things change better or worse in the valley. Lots of hope and happiness to the people looking at the brighter side of their universe.#Let peace prevail.
