Srinagar: The authorities on Monday foiled the protest march of Bashir Ahmad Rather led Kashmir Traders and Manufacturing Federation (KTMF) and detained scores of its members along with its president.
KTMF, the trade body was protesting against the government’s ‘imminent decision’ of implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the state.
The traders assembled at Shaheed Gunj and chanted slogans like ‘One Country One Tax unacceptable’.
The KTMF members who were holding the banners reading their demands and the slogans said that they won’t allow the state dispensation to infringe the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. “Our state has its own constitution and why the government is mulling to implement any other law here. The imminent move of the government is against the aspirations of the people here and the incumbent regime must take any step, which would accommodate the aspirations of people,” KTMF president, Bashir Ahmad Rather said.
“Kashmir is an internationally-known disputed territory and bringing it under ‘one country, one tax’ regime is akin to fudging with its special status and that’s unacceptable to us,” he said.
He said that the government is verbally assuring the people that the special status won’t be infringed but the verbal assurances won’t yield any result as the move, which government is mulling to take is bound to infringe the special status of JK.
Meanwhile, the protesters later tried to march towards the Civil Secretariat.
As soon as the protesting traders tried to march, police swung into action and detained scores of its members along with its president, basher Ahmad Rather, senior trade leader, Hilal Ahmad Mandoo and others.
The trade leaders were lodged at Shaheed Gunj Police Station.
Meanwhile, Police also foiled a sit-in programme of the trade bodies outside the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly complex here today by arresting several leaders and activists.
The trade leaders were protesting outside the assembly while the House was being re-convened to debate implementation of the controversial GST bill.
Scores of protesting trade leaders, including Showkat Chowdhary, Zahoor Tramboo and Faiz Bakshi, among others, were arrested by the police.
However, reports said that the former chairman of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mubeen Shah was placed under house arrest earlier today. (KNS)
