Statehood no favour, it’s political right of J&K people: MLA Khursheed

Srinagar, Sep 28 : Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) senior leader and MLA Langate Sheikh Khursheed on Monday said restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is the right of people and it’s no favour to them.Speaking in the Assembly during the debate on the resolution seeking restoration of statehood, Khursheed, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said the political identity and democratic rights of the people of J&K must be restored.“Statehood is about our political identity, dignity and democratic rights. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are not asking for a favour. They are asking for the restoration of what was taken away from them, including their statehood, political identity, flag and emblem,” he said.Khursheed also questioned the National Conference’s repeated references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2024 commitment on restoration of statehood.“If the National Conference can repeatedly remind people of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise made in 2024, why does it not remind the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the country of the promises and commitments made by late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Kashmiris?” he asked.He said political promises and commitments concerning Jammu and Kashmir cannot be selectively remembered based on political convenience.“A promise does not lose its political significance merely because the person who made it is no longer in office. The commitments made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir have a history and that history cannot be selectively remembered for political convenience,” Khursheed said.The AIP MLA said the political rights of J&K cannot be confined to statements made in a particular year or by a particular Prime Minister. “Our political identity was taken away, our political rights were curtailed, our flag was removed and our emblem was taken away. What was taken away from the people of Jammu and Kashmir must be returned to them,” he said.During his intervention, Khursheed also displayed a poster carrying the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State flag and emblem with the message, “We demand what you snatched from us undemocratically.”—(KNO)