The international working president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and senior advocate, Alok Kumar, expressed his welcome for the Supreme Court’s judgment on the revocation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Kumar regarded the landmark ruling as a tribute to saffron ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. In a statement, Kumar highlighted that with the special constitutional privileges under Article 370 now history, the focus should shift to liberating Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
“Now the only unfinished agenda in Jammu and Kashmir is the liberation of Pak-Occupied-Kashmir from the clutches of Pakistan. We are confident that a strong India and a determined Government will be able to free the PoK soon,” stated the VHP leader. Kumar reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir has been and will always be an integral part of India, emphasizing that the judgment underlines the final, valid, and irrevocable nature of the Letter of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh in 1947-48.
“The then political leadership had given special status to Jammu and Kashmir through Article 370 due to some political misunderstandings,” added Kumar. The VHP leader expressed hope that ongoing development would continue unabated in Jammu and Kashmir. The Supreme Court’s ruling clarified that Article 370 was a ‘temporary provision’ of the Constitution to facilitate the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India, effectively ruling out its restoration in the erstwhile state.
