Diplomat Correspondent
Srinagar, (DD)A group of eminent citizens, including former bureaucrats, professors, journalists, and civil society members, have written to Members of Parliament urging them to raise the issue of immediate and full restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.
The letter, addressed to MPs across the political spectrum, underscores the importance of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir in the context of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and Operation Sindoor, which are expected to be widely debated during the session.
“Several critical and appropriate questions have been raised in the public domain… They relate to national security, strategic affairs, policing and administration, and the failure to find a political resolution to the problems of Jammu and Kashmir,” the letter reads.
The signatories, who include former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, academic Apoorvanand, former bureaucrats like C. Balakrishnan and Rana Banerji, and noted journalist Sanjaya Baru, have stressed that the loss of statehood in August 2019 must not be ignored in any serious discussion on Kashmir’s future.
The letter argues that the restoration of statehood is not only a political necessity but a constitutional imperative, noting that continued centralisation and prolonged Union Territory status are eroding public trust and democratic federalism in India.
“Restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir… is important not just for peace-building, but for restoring faith in the federal architecture of our Constitution,” it adds.
The signatories have also proposed a constitutional amendment to Articles 1 and/or 3, suggesting that no existing state should be allowed to be converted into a Union Territory, to protect the basic structure of federalism.
Emphasising that the issue has remained unresolved for six years, the letter warns against the dangerous precedent set by the unilateral downgrading of a full-fledged state.
“Your support for the statehood demand will demonstrate Parliament’s solidarity with Jammu and Kashmir’s political leadership. This must not be allowed to become a precedent for disrupting the federal framework of India,” it says.
Signatories of the Appeal Include:
Ammu Abraham – Forum Against Oppression of Women, Mumbai
Tanvir Aeijaz – Associate Professor, Ramjas College, Delhi University
Hilal Ahmed – Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi
Mani Shankar Aiyar – Former Union Minister and MP
Apoorvanand – Professor, Delhi University
C. Balakrishnan (Retd.) – Former Secretary, Ministry of Coal, GoI
Rana Banerji (Retd.) – Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI
Sanjaya Baru – Former Media Advisor to the PM
Prajit K. Basu – Former Professor, University of Hyderabad
Amit Bhaduri – Economist, Dharwad
Madhu Bhaduri – Former IFS, Writer, Dharwad
Anando Bhakto – Journalist
Niloufer Bhagwat – Vice President, Indian Association of Lawyers
The letter ends with a strong call to parliamentarians to speak up during the session(DD)
