Fresh Hopes
The latest assurance by the central government that there would be no tempering with the local interests of common people in entire erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, has given fresh hopes to the people to come out shadows of fear.
People of Ladakh have also lot of apprehensions that there interests should be safeguarded as the central government while making it a Union Territory has decided to rule it directly from New Delhi without any legislature.
There apprehensions are justified as there was silence on the part of central government about the fears in the common people that the central government has ulterior designs to change the demography especially in Kashmir valley.
Ever since Article 35A was brought under legal scrutiny when its validity was challenged in the Supreme Court in May 2014, and its pros and cons guided the confrontationist public discourse, there were several shutdowns in Kashmir in protest against the scrapping of the constitutional provision.
The permanent residents or state subject holders could be defined by the state legislature only, and these citizens of J&K had exclusive rights on the immovable property, jobs and scholarships. This provision was protected due to Article 370 that was a living symbol of semi-sovereignty to J&K state that had its own constitution, most empowered state legislature and flag.
With fresh assurance from central government that they will soon come with new laws which will protect the interests of people, common people are now on the borders of hope that these laws will allay their fears.
