Welcoming the protection granted to the sensitivities and special status of Jammu & Kashmir in today’s Presidential Order on GST, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti termed it as the victory of the democracy of the country and a tribute to the powers of the State Legislature.Intervening during a discussion on GST in the Legislative Council today, the Chief Minister described the order as an important milestone in the constitutional relations between the State and the Centre. She said it is equally satisfying that for the first time in the State’s history that the sensitivities and concerns flagged by the Government and Legislature of the State were duly incorporated by the Centre while issuing the Presidential Order. “Otherwise during the last 70 years, unfortunately, central laws were extended to the State in a manner which raised doubts in the minds of many people here”, she said in her intervention adding that with such a transparent conduct of discussions on the present subject, the doors for any manipulations in constitutional relations of the State with the Centre stand closed for ever.Mehbooba Mufti thanked the Central Government, particularly President, Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister for respecting and assenting to the aspirations and sensitivities of the people of the State reflected through the debates and discussions held on the floor of the State legislature, in the meetings of the All Party delegates and other fora. She said with today’s Presidential Order and the guarantees contained in it, a step has been taken to respect and restore the dignity of State’s people which unfortunately got bruised during the past.
The Chief Minister also complimented her colleagues in the cabinet including Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. Nirmal Singh; Minister for Law Parliamentary Affairs, Abdul Rahman Veeri; Minister for Finance, Dr. Haseeb Drabu and Minister for Law Abdul Haq and and concerned senior officers for working tirelessly in this regard. She made special mention of Member Parliament and former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Baig for having worked out modalities with members of various political parties as the head of All Party Committee and his valuable inputs which helped in fine tuning the State’s position on the issue.The Chief Minister said respecting, protecting and upholding the special status of Jammu & Kashmir has been the core political philosophy of her Party and it is also duly enshrined in the Agenda of Alliance of the present Government which today stands duly vindicated. “The Presidential Order has now allayed the misplaced perceptions or misgivings in circulation for quite some time in the State and it has justified the stand of my Government about respecting, protecting and preserving the special Status of Jammu & Kashmir,” the Chief Minister said in her intervention.