While the Kashmir centric political parties and separatists have joined hands to raise their voice against “attempts” to abrogate the Article 35A of the Constitution of India, the Jammu and Ladakh regions have refused to join the Kashmiri narrative and are in favour of complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the country by scrapping the provisions that encourage separatist tendencies in this border state.

The ruling PDP-BJP coalition is also divided on the sensitive issue as both parties have expressed diametrically opposite views on its continuation.

The issue was first of all raised by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti when during a recent seminar in New Delhi she warned of dire consequences if the Article 35A was “tinkered” with. She warned that no one will be there to carry the National Flag in Kashmir if there was any fiddling with the Article that empowers J&K to define “permanent residents” of the state and provide them special rights and privileges.

However as things stand today, with passage of time a feeling of alienation has grown among the people of the Jammu and the Ladakh regions who believe that only the Kashmir valley was enjoying the special position while “step-motherly” treatment was being provided to them. As a result of this, demand for separating Jammu and Ladakh from Kashmir have been raised from time to time. Voices of creating Jammu as a separate state and union territory status for Ladakh have been raised by residents of the two regions because of alleged discriminatory treatment by the successive Kashmir centric governments in the state.

The displaced Kashmiri Pandits have also urged the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendera Modi to fulfill the party’s commitment of scrapping the Articles 370 and 35A that smack of separatism. The Article 35A provides that any person who is not a permanent resident of J&K cannot own property in the state or obtain job within J&K or join any professional college run by the state government. The non-state subjects are also barred from getting any form of government aid.

Kashmir centric National Conference, Congress, CPI-M, PDF and DPN have joined together to oppose attempts to scrap the provision. MP and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah held a meeting of these parties at Srinagar on Sunday and warned against “attempts” to dilute the special status of J&K. Besides Abdullah, among others who attended the meeting were Omar Abdullah, state Congress chief GA Mir, CPI-M MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Chairman of PDF Hakeem Yasin and DPN chief Ghulam Hassan Mir.

They expressed anguish over what they called “insensitive and dangerous” approach towards J&K’s special status. They were referring to the centre’s approach towards Supreme Court’s recent decision on a PIL for abrogation of Article 35-A of Constitution of India.

The Kashmiri separatists led by Syed Alishah Geelani were using the issue to add fuel to the fire by calling for a shutdown in Kashmir on August 12.

A meeting of prominent residents of Jammu stressed that the Article 35A promotes alienation, deepens the ideology of separate identity and creates a wedge between J&K and rest of the country and as such it should be abrogated.

Although the ministers belong to BJP in Mehbooba’s cabinet were silent on the issue, but prominent leaders of the party point out that the Constitutional provision was a “blunder” by the then government at the centre as the Article 35A was incorporated through a presidential order and not through the parliamentary process. Moreover, J&K has remained backward and alienated because of such provisions.