Join hands to protect Article 35A, Mehbooba Mufti urges Farooq Abdullah

SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that she has requested her political archrival, Farooq Abdullah, to convene an all-party meet to protect the state's special status.

"In light of recent developments that have caused a sense of panic amongst people in J&K, I've requested Dr Farooq Abdullah sahab to convene an all party meeting. The need of the hour is to come together & forge a united response. We the people of Kashmir need to stand up as one," she said in a tweet.

There has been utter confusion in Kashmir during the last few days after media reports that the Central government was most likely to scrap the Constitution's Article 35A that gives the state legislature the power to define the permanent residents of the state.

Social media sites are awash with rumours that the announcement to scrap Article 35A is likely to be made soon.

People are storing rations, medicines, pulses, fuel for vehicles and all other essentials in apprehension of a spell of uncertainty likely to follow the abrogation of Article 35A.

While the Governor's administration has been asking people not to heed these rumours, there is no categoric word either from New Delhi or Srinagar on the fate of the provision.