Kashmiri separatists call for two-day strike from August 26 over Article 35A

Kashmiri separatists on Friday called for a two-day strike from August 26 over the legal challenge in the Supreme Court on the validity of Article 35A and warned of a mass agitation across Jammu and Kashmir in case of any “untoward decision” by the apex court.

Article 35A, incorporated in the Constitution by a 1954 Presidential Order, confers special status to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir, and bars people from outside the state from acquiring any immovable property in the state.

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The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, said the decision to call for strike was taken after deliberations with all stakeholders.

“It was decided that a two-day complete protest bandh will be observed across the length and breadth of the state on August 26 and 27 when the case is coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court,” the JRL said in a statement.

The separatists said, “In case any untoward decision by the Supreme Court, a mass statewide agitation will commence.”

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The apex court has listed the matter for hearing in the week commencing August 27.