‘Lambi hai gham ki shaam…’: How Kashmir leaders reacted to Article 370 verdict

While several political leaders, especially belonging to the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) hailed Supreme Court‘s decision, several political leaders from Kashmir expressed disappointment.

Ghulam Nabi Azad

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairperson Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday termed the Supreme Court’s verdict upholding the abrogation of Article 370 “sad and unfortunate” but said everyone has to accept it “with a heavy heart”.

Nobody will be happy with this judgement in Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad said. 

“It is unfortunate but everyone has to accept the decision of the Supreme Court with a heavy heart. We did not expect this decision. We were thinking that the Supreme Court will consider the sentiments of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and also the historical background under which the Article 370 was incorporated to the constitution. That was our hope but unfortunately that has not happened,” Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters at his residence.

Omar Abdullah 

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah said he is disappointed but not disheartened by the Supreme Court verdict. 

Omar Abdullah remarked it took the BJP decades to abrogate the provisions of Article 370.

“We are also prepared for the long haul,” he said in a post on X.

“Disappointed but not disheartened. The struggle will continue,” Omar Abdullah, who put out multiple posts, said.

Omar Abdullah quoted poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz‘s couplet to signify that hope should not be lost. “Dil na umeed tou nahi, Na kaam hi tou hai, Lambi hai gham ki shaam, Magar shaam hi tou hai (my heart is helpless, but doesn’t mean it is hopeless, the evening of sorrow is long, but it is just an evening),”

Mehbooba Mufti

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Article 370 abrogation is “nothing less than a death sentence”, adding that it marked the defeat of the idea of India with which the Muslim-majority state had acceded in 1947.

“Today an unconstitutional and illegal act that took place in the Parliament was declared legal. It is nothing less than a death sentence not only for Jammu and Kashmir but for the idea of India,” Mehbooba Mufti said in a five-minute video message she posted on X.

“The SC has said that the Article 370 is temporary, which is why it was removed. This is not only our defeat but also the defeat of the idea of India. This is the defeat of the imagination of India, the Gandhian India with which Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir, rejecting Pakistan, joined hands with the Hindus, Buddhists Sikhs and Christians, the country of Gandhi. Today marks the defeat of that idea of India,” Mehbooba Mufti added.

Karan Singh, son of former Maharaja of J&K

Karan Singh, a Congress leader and the son of Hari Singh, the former Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, said, “My sincere advice to a section of people in Jammu and Kashmir who will not be happy with this judgment is that they should accept the inevitable and they should accept the fact that now this has been done and the Supreme Court has upheld the action and therefore there’s no point now unnecessarily hitting their head against the wall.”

“Now my suggestion is that they should turn their energies towards fighting the next elections. That is where the people should now be motivated instead of developing any negativity,” he said.

Sajad Lone

“The Supreme Court verdict on Article 370 is disappointing. Justice yet again eludes the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 may have been legally obliterated but will always remain a part of our political aspirations,” Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Conference chief, Sajad Lone said.

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Published: 11 Dec 2023, 03:09 PM IST