Assurances and fears

There has been lot of panic among the people of Kashmir that Central Government is going to strike down Article 35(A) after Eid. In absence of any government response to these rumours, there has been lot of panic buying in the markets of Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir.

Now State Governor Satya Pal Malik said Tuesday that people of Kashmir should not pay heed to rumours of any major decision on the special status of the state as everything is normal.

Everything is fine, everything is normal, were the words Governor, when asked about the slew of orders appearing on social media about the possibility of a prolonged law and order situation in Kashmir Valley. He said the orders which had appeared on the social media in recent days were not valid.

Kashmir has been on the edge for the past week after the Centre decided to send 100 companies of additional Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPFs) to the valley, giving rise to speculations that the BJP-led union government might repeal Article 35-A of the Constitution that provides for special residency and job rights to the people of the state.

In the past few days, several orders issued by state government officials and some central government departments had further fuelled the speculations that a major decision with regard to Jammu and Kashmir was in the offing.

Recently Senior Superintendent of Police of Srinagar had directed five zonal SPs in the city to collect details of all the mosques and their management committees in their respective areas of jurisdiction and submit it immediately for onward submission to higher authorities.