Srinagar, Nov 04 : Jammu and Kashmir Workers Party President Mir Junaid has stated that the real story behind Articles 370 and 35A is one of betrayal from within—an uncomfortable truth that regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir would prefer the public to forget.
In a lengthy post on X, Junaid emphasized that the issue is not solely about the widely publicized abrogation by the BJP. He noted that local leaders, who previously positioned themselves as defenders of Kashmir’s autonomy, had set the groundwork for the weakening and dismantling of these articles long before the national government’s actions.
“Let’s lay it bare,” he asserted. “Decades ago, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah of the National Conference sacrificed the Prime Ministerial title for the Chief Minister’s chair. That decision marked the beginning of a series of backdoor compromises, culminating in a secretive accord with Madam Indira Gandhi that led to numerous amendments—amendments that hollowed out these very provisions from the inside, piece by piece, with no public disclosure.”
Junaid further criticized regional parties, including the Congress, PDP, National Conference, and People’s Conference, which he accused of continuing to erode J&K’s special status by passing laws such as the GST and the Land Grant Bill. He claimed that by the time the BJP made its move, the groundwork for this erosion had already been laid by local politicians.
“The BJP may have taken the final 10%, but that act was only possible because our leaders had already dismantled the foundation,” Junaid said.
He characterized the situation as a harsh reality, stating, “The so-called ‘protectors’ of Kashmir’s autonomy willingly dismantled it for power. This was not an act of outside forces—it was a surrender of identity, orchestrated from within by those who now feign outrage. The public deserves to know that this betrayal didn’t happen overnight; it was a calculated sellout, one amendment, one law, one compromise at a time.”
Junaid concluded by calling for accountability among those who he believes have betrayed their own people. “The real story of Articles 370 and 35A is not just one of abrogation—it is a story of long-standing deceit by the very parties who have built their careers on defending what they quietly dismantled. It’s time to stop rewriting history and face the facts: the real architects of this dismantling are not outsiders but the very leaders who pretend to stand for our rights.”
