Srinagar: Government of India, as respondents are yet to file its view on petition filed in Supreme court over Article 35 A in 2014, constitutional expert Zaffar Shah said Saturday.
Zaffar Shah was speaking at the seminar organised by Green Valley Educational Institute in Srinagar.
“The petition on Article 35 A has two respondents i.e Government of India and government of Jammu and Kashmir. While the state government has filed its response saying that the petition should be dismissed the GoI is yet to put its view. We do not know what it their stand on the issue,” Shah said, adding that the petition was filed in filed in 2014.
“The stand of GoI on Article 35 A remains uncertain,” Shah said.
Shah told audience of students and teachers that the issue of Article 370 and article 35 A are larger than life issues and decision of scrapping them will have impact on ‘generations to come’.
In Bar association we had two option, shah said, either to have people with some agenda have a walkover or to fight back.
“Let historians remember that when such onslaughts were being perpetrated there were people who stood and resisted,” Shah said asking students to read history of Kashmir.
Raising suspicion about how the issue of abolishing article 370 and Article 35A is being raised he said: There are two ways of looking at the issue of abolishing Article 370.
One: deprive you of advantage but have no advantage himself, Second: deprive you of advantage and derive advantage from that.”
“Article 35 A came into existence in 54 but why is the existence being questioned after decades? Difference is: change in government or change of ideology,” Shah said.
According to Shah, some body is trying to push ‘his ideology’ and as a means to do it, ‘he is using courts as means for it’.
“Rather than democratic process, asking people to decide, he is asking judges. He does not want your votes,” Shah said.
Zaffar also urged parents to have a ‘good relation with their kids’ so that they share their problems with them.
“Kids should come to their teachers and parents in a friendly way. Parents should be role models and teachers should not create a fear psychosis among them,” Zafar told teachers and students.
He urged students to respect their teachers and should follow their footsteps.
Principal GVEI Prof Razia Sultana thanked all the guests and speakers to be part of the debate.
She thanked Zaffar shah of ‘coming to institute and enlightening students about the burning issues pertaining to society and its impact.”
Mahpara khan, Haya and Soliha of 11th standard, Arts stream, delivered speech on the subject. Chairman GVEI mohammad Yousuf Wani, and Private schools association president GN VAr was also present on the occasion.
Wani while thanking Shah said that it was a pleasure moment for the school to host him.
“Such discussions and debates will be held in future as well,” he said.
