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“India se galti hui hai” (India has a made mistake) said Satya Pal Malik J&K governor on Wednesday, 3 October to a national daily ahead of the local body polls in the state. The governor said that India has alienated itself from Jammu and Kashmir through the “mistakes” it committed.
In an interview to The Indian Express, he also said that the India-Kashmir situation is not of one occupying the other and that India has mishandled the situation, in context of the friction between locals and the government.
Over the years, the Kashmir crisis has only worsened with rising protests and political downfall in the state. The tumult over Article 370 which grants the state of Jammu and Kashmir a special status, and Article 35A relating to land-owning rules in the state, has been a major reason for disturbance in the Valley. Governor Malik suggested that the arguments on Article 35A should be deferred till an elected government is in power.
After the PDP-BJP alliance fell through, talks between state political parties and the Centre has become a challenge. Malik said that his agenda is not to create a dialogue, but to create an environment that helps the Centre initiate talks with parties and Hurriyat, adding that they don’t demand Pakistan’s involvement.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir awaits local body elections on 8 October 2018, amid the political crisis and militancy situation.
Both the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier announced that they will boycott the municipal elections and panchayat elections in the state. The governor back then had also told both the parties that it’s not the right time to take a position on Article 35A or Article 370.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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