Rights forum report seeks restoration of J&K statehood

Srinagar: The Forum for Human Rights in J&K, led by former home secretary of India GK Pillai, released a report on the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 and 35(A), recommending restoration of full statehood and repeal of the 2019 J&K Reorganisation Act.

The report titled 'J&K, Seven Years Under Union Rule' with a special section on Ladakh and Pakistan-held territories of J&K, was scheduled to be released in Srinagar on August 7, but the forum members said the police didn't give permission for the event.

"This demotion (J&K state into Union Territory) contravened Articles 1 and 3 of the Constitution of India and the basic structure of the doctrine that India is a federal democracy in which states' rights must be respected, which has been a bedrock of Indian unity for over a half-century," read the report.


The Forum has urged the central government to accept Ladakh's demand for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule.