The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution calling for the restoration of the special status the erstwhile state had under Article 370 of the Constitution, which was abrogated by the Union government in August 2019, the Deccan Herald reported.

The resolution was moved by National Conference leader and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Chowdhary.

“This Legislative Assembly reaffirms the importance of the special status and constitutional guarantees, which safeguarded the identity, culture, and rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and expresses concern over their unilateral removal,” the resolution read.

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Through the resolution, the Assembly called on the Union government to “initiate dialogue with elected representatives of people of Jammu and Kashmir for restoration of special status, constitutional guarantee and to work out constitutional mechanisms” for restoring the provision.

“This Assembly emphasises that any process for restoration must safeguard both national unity and the legitimate aspirations of people” of Jammu and Kashmir, the resolution added.

It was passed amid protests by members of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

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The resolution was not part of the business of the House, claimed Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma.

This is the first Assembly session after the recent election in Jammu and Kashmir. The polls were the first in 10 years and the first since the abrogation of Article 370.

When the Centre scrapped Article 370 in 2019, the state was also bifurcated into two Union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.


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