The business community of Kashmir on Monday said that they are ready to face bullets in order to protect the Article 35 A and the special status of the state.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, representatives of 27 Kashmir-based trade and industry bodies joined hands to protest attempts made to abrogate and dilute the special status enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370.
Representatives from trade, tourism, horticulture and industry bodies said the case “was adding fuel to Kashmir unrest and fiddling with the constitutional provision would be catastrophic” and appealed the Supreme Court of India to reject the petitions against Article 35 A. The Supreme Court will on August 6 hear the petitions challenging the Article 35-A which defines permanent residents of the state.
They also extended their support to the two-day strike called by the Joint Resistance Leadership.
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Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Forum (KTMF) president, Muhammad Yaseen Khan said, “We are ready to face bullets in order to protect the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. It will be an all out war if Government of India scraps the Article 35-A. It is a matter of life and death for us.”
Khan, who also heads the Kashmir Economic Alliance added, “Business community be it traders, hoteliers or transporters are ready to sacrifice their lives to protect the special status of our state. Government is using all dirty tactics to take away over special status but we won’t let that happen.”
