Outcome pre-planned: PDP to stay away from J and K delimitation process

PDP General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura in a letter to Justice (Retd) Ranjana Prakesh Desai, the former judge of the Supreme Court of India, who heads the Delimitation Commission, said "On 5th August, 2019, the constitutional and democratic values of our country were trampled upon with the people of Jammu and Kashmir being robbed of their legitimate constitutional and democratic rights by means of abrogation of Article 370 and 35 (A) of the Indian constitution illegally and unconstitutionally. The day also saw the people of Jiamp;K being humiliated and demeaned by downgrading and bifurcation of an almost 200 year old state; an act with no precedence in Independent India.

"The Reorganisation Act being a product of the same process, we are of the considered opinion that the Delimitation Commission lacks constitutional and legal mandate in the first place and its very existence and objectives have left every ordinary resident of Jiamp;K with many questions. There are apprehensions that the delimitation exercise is part of the overall process of political disempowerment of the people of Jiamp;K that the Government of India has embarked on," the letter reads.

The letter further adds that at the very core of these apprehensions is the process through which the commission has been constituted and the fact that while the delimitation process across the country has been put on hold till 2026, Jiamp;K has been made an exception.

"There are apprehensions that the process is aimed at realizing the political vision of a particular political party in Jiamp;K wherein, like other things, the views and wishes of the people of Jiamp;K would be considered the least. It is a widespread belief that contours iamp; outcome of the exercise hare are pre-planned and the exercise per say is mere a formality. The very intent is under question," the letter reads.

"Taking this opportunity, we would like to put on record that despite the utter humiliation of the people of Jiamp;K, undermining of our constitutional and democratic rights, vilification and incarceration of political leadership and ordinary citizens, when the Honourable Prime Minister convened an all-party meeting in New Delhi on 24th of June, we didn't let our hurt come in way of what could have been an initiation of a reconciliation process aimed at restoring the rights of the people of Jiamp;K. Hence, we participated in the meeting. In the meeting we emphasized on the need to reach out to the people of Jiamp;K and suggested specific confidence building measures that could lead to breaking the ice in the process of addressing the massive trust deficit between New Delhi and Jiamp;K."

"We are disappointed to see that after the all-party meeting nothing has moved and no effort has been made to bring ease into the lives of the people, giving credence to those, who had in the first instance, called the meeting a mere photo opportunity.

"Leave aside acting on the suggested confidence building measures the Government of India has continued with its daily dictates to the people of Jiamp;K, including the recent amendments and orders including those making every person a suspect (Govt employees antecedents verification order) and deepening the divide between two regions of Jiamp;K (the order related to Darbar move).

"In view of the above mentioned facts and issues, our party has decided to stay away from this process and not be part of some exercise, the outcome which is widely believed to be pre-planned iamp; which may further hurt the interests of our people."