KTMF,KEA back strike call given by separatists
The trader bodies in Kashmir valley, including Kashmir Traders Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) and Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA), have backed the separatists strike call on August 29 against alleged attempts being made to abrogate Article 35-A.
“We are ready to face bullets in order to protect the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
It will be all-out war if Central government scrapped Article 35-A. It is a matter of life and death for us,” KTMF president Muhammad Yaseen Khan said here today. While expressing his support to the protest program, Mr Khan, who is also chairman of Kashmir Economic Alliance, said business community be it traders, hoteliers or transporters are ready to sacrifice their lives to protect the special status of our state.
“Government is using all dirty tactics to take away special status but we won’t let it happen,” he alleged. He further alleged that government has done immense harm to the special status of the state.
“First they implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST) then Statistics Bill and now attempts are being made to scrap Article 35-A,” he said.
The separatists yesterday issued a five-day protest calendar from tomorrow, including a shutdown call on August 29, alleging that attempts are being made to tamper with the special status of the state.
The Supreme Court is likely to hear a PIL challenging the validity of Article 35-A on August 29. However, mainstream political parties, including National Conference (NC), CPI(M) and Congress, besides civil society, have called for a united fight against the alleged attempts to abrogate the Article.
