Ex-servicemen celebrate Supreme Court verdict on Article 370 in Jammu

Jammu, Dec 12 (PTI) A group of retired army personnel affiliated with the Akhil Bhartiya Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad (ABPSSP) on Tuesday celebrated the Supreme Court upholding the abrogation of Article 370, saying justice has been done to the soldiers from outside Jammu and Kashmir.

They said the Monday judgment is a tight slap on Pakistan, separatists and the parties that are dividing the people.

“We are happy over the historic decision of the Supreme Court because from Manipur to Rajasthan and Ladakh to Kerala, the soldiers serving in Jammu and Kashmir have sacrificed their lives in Jammu and Kashmir but the irony was that their families had no permission to buy a piece of land to settle here,” president of J&K unit of ABPSSP Colonel (Retd) Sukhvir Mankotia told PTI.

Mankotia led a group of retired soldiers to celebrate the top court’s verdict at Sainik Colony on the outskirts of Jammu. They also paid floral tributes to fallen security personnel including a colonel, a major and a deputy Superintendent of police who laid down their lives in an encounter with terrorists in Kokernag area of Anantnag district in September.

Mankotia said the Supreme Court has put its stamp on the August 5, 2019 decision of the BJP-led central government to abrogate Article 370, providing joy to the soldiers from other parts of the country who are serving in J-K under challenging conditions.

Ex-serviceman Narinder Singh said there was a wave of happiness over the verdict among the people except the separatist and the parties that work at the “behest of Pakistan”. “The decision is a tight slap on Pakistan and the parties having separatist leanings and dividing people.”

Another ex-serviceman, Rakesh Choudhary, said the Supreme Court decision has done justice not only with Jammu and Kashmir but the entire country as the abrogation of Article 370 ended discrimination with various communities.

“The discriminatory Article 370 disenfranchised citizens, especially the soldiers who could serve and make the supreme sacrifice but were not permitted to settle in J&K. The daughters of J-K married outside were denied property rights. Now everyone is happy about its abrogation,” he said.