Article 370 Move Poses Existential Question for Mainstream, Says Srinagar Mayor

Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu has described developments in the Kashmir Valley since August 5, when the Narendra Modi government decided to end Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, as “deeply disturbing and anguishing”. Mattu was given the status of a minister three weeks after that decision.

Criticism of detentions

Mattu, a spokesperson for the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC), criticised the Centre for placing mainstream political leaders in the Valley under house arrest. In an interview, he said the mainstream as a whole now faced a bigger question about its very existence.

He said leaders should work to restore what he called the state’s eroded constitutional rights and press for the decision to be reversed. His party, he said, has gone to the Supreme Court to challenge it.

Former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti remain under house arrest, though the government has now allowed their families to see them after more than 25 days. Omar Abdullah received a visit from his sister on Monday, his 29th day in detention, while Mehbooba’s mother and sister met her on August 28.

Normalcy disputed

Mattu rejected the Centre’s claim that the Valley was normal, arguing that the “absence of dead bodies” could not serve as a new definition of normalcy. Asked whether he enjoyed more freedom than other politicians because the government trusted him, he denied it and said his illness had made his continued detention untenable.

Background

On August 5 the government decided to revoke provisions of Article 370, which gave Jammu and Kashmir special status, and to split the state into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Relations with Pakistan have been tense since. Pakistan suspended trade with India, expelled Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria, halted the Samjhauta Express and took the matter to the UN Security Council in an effort to internationalise it.

See also: Political leaders | Election news

Originally published on 3 September 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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