Tasaduq Rasheed

Srinagar, Feb 15 (KNS): National Conference has filed its objections before the Delimitation Commission on its second draft report, which has proposed massive changes in the assembly and parliamentary constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir.

Talking exclusively to Kashmir News Service (KNS) NC parliamentarian from South Kashmir Justice (Retd.) Hasnain Masoodi said that they have filed the objections before the commission. 

“Our first objection was the threshold objection, which mentions that the Reorganisation Act, which came into being after August 05, 2019, is under judicial scrutiny. The Supreme Court is engaged in examining its constitutional validity so the application and extension of Delimitation Act to J&K is also under judicial scrutiny,” he said.

He said that the another objection they raised is that the proposal has given first preference to population over other norms and conditions.

“This is always the first criterion to be kept in mind, but the draft proposal has been framed without taking the actual population of the J&K into consideration,” he said.

He said that there is one constituency where population of 1.92 lakh people has one member, which is Dooru constituency. “Then you have constituencies where you have a population of 50,000 or say less than one lakh. Now what happens, there are three constituencies, while Dooru will have just one member. So the very purpose of delimitation gets defeated,” Masoodi said.

He said their third point was, as per guidelines, the commission was supposed to keep in consideration major yardsticks of connectivity and contiguity while demarcating constituencies and they have again given a go-bye to the fundamental guidelines. 

Masoodi said that framing of delimitation report in such a manner is an attack on the history and culture of Jammu and Kashmir. (KNS)