Srinagar, Aug 6: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said the debate over Article 35A, which provides special rights to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, managed to bridge the gab between people of the two region. Mehbooba Mufti said all sections of the society in J&K including mainstream parties and separatists are of the view that the sanctity of Article 35A must be preserved.

"One of the  main purposes of the PDP - BJP alliance was to bridge the growing gap between the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Surprisingly, it is the debate surrounding the danger of scrapping article 35A that has made the impossible possible," she said in a tweet. "Be it Jammu or Srinagar, mainstream parties and separatists, there has been a consensus on preserving the sanctity of Article 35A," she added.

Earlier, in a series of tweets, Mufti said Kashmiris rejected the two nation theory and chose to live in secular India. "Kashmiris are often blamed for alienating themselves from rest of the country. But it is actually the dynamics of power politics which has made it difficult for the Centre to reconcile with the special status that J&K has held for more than 70 years," the former chief minister tweeted.

"The people of J&K placed great faith in our country by rejecting the two nation theory which was divisive & driven by religion. Instead we chose a democratic and secular India. Now it is for the nation to respect that decision in its entirety. Instead of attempting to dilute J&K’s special status they should embrace it and treat Kashmiris with dignity," she added.

She said the scrapping of Article 35A will be a violation of the Constitution of India, which is the supreme law and conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear the challenge to Article 35A in the absence of a judge of a three-judge bench that was hearing the case and directed the next hearing in the week commencing from August 27.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2018 10:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).