Srinagar, Aug 24: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker, Abdul Rahim Rather on Sunday reiterated that statehood should be restored to J&K at the earliest, as repeatedly promised by the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister.
He said the people of the Union Territory are eagerly waiting for this commitment to be fulfilled.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the All India Speakers’ Conference in New Delhi, Rather as per news agency KINS said that India’s democratic character is its greatest strength. “We have always said that India is the mother of democracy, and we must value and strengthen democratic values for the people, day by day,” he said.
The Speaker stressed that democracy in Jammu and Kashmir is functioning smoothly. “There should be no doubts about democracy here. Elections were held, there is an elected government, and the government is working for the people,” he noted.
Calling the restoration of statehood a constitutional promise and a democratic necessity, Rather pointed out that the country’s top leadership has made repeated assurances.
“Jammu and Kashmir should be granted the status of a state. The Prime Minister himself has assured this, and the people are expecting that very soon, J&K will regain its statehood,” he said.
He further underlined that both the Union Home Minister and the Supreme Court have echoed this assurance. “The Home Minister has already stated in Parliament that statehood will be restored, and even the Supreme Court has said it should happen at the earliest,” Rather added.
The Speaker said fulfilling this promise is not just about governance but about building trust among the people. “Restoring statehood will not only meet the expectations of the people of J&K but will also further strengthen the very spirit of Indian democracy,” he remarked.(KINS)
