New Delhi: With the Centre deciding to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, questions have started shaping up in the minds of ordinary citizens as to what it means for the State and for rest of the country. While the events in the past fortnight in the valley have raised curiosity about the Article and its appandium Article 35A, here are some key points which unequivocally proves that the demographic profile of the region is set to change for good. They are…
1. The Kashmiris will no longer be able to enjoy special status with the scrapping of Article 370.
2. People from anywhere in India can now buy property and settle in the State.
3. The locals fear, the influx into the State from across India will dramatically alter the demography of the State from being a Muslim majority State to a Muslim minority state.
4. With the scrapping of Article 370, the State will no longer have its own constitution, flag and the right to handle its own law.
5. Article 35A, making the distinction between the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir and the outsiders, will also cease to exist.
6. Reservation laws in jobs and educational institutions will be the same for Jammu and Kashmir like the rest of India.
7. Outsiders will be eligible for admissions to colleges in Kashmir and jobs in State government offices.
8. Kashmiri women, who marry a non-Kashmiri, and their children would no longer lose their right of inheritance.