People’s voice and Kashmir’s future
The HinduThe all-party conference on Jammu and Kashmir revealed the failure of the strategy crafted by the Government of India. It said: “Notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution, no Act of Parliament in respect of Religion or social practices of the Mizos, Mizo customary law or procedure, Administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Mizo customary law, Ownership and transfer of land, shall apply to the State of Mizoram unless the Legislative Assembly of Mizoram by a resolution so decides.” On February 20, 1987, the 53rd Constitution Amendment came into force inserting Article 371G which reads thus: “Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, no Act of Parliament in respect of Religious or social practices of the Mizos, Mizo customary law and procedure, Administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Mizo customary law, Ownership and transfer of land, shall apply to the State of Mizoram unless the Legislative Assembly of Mizoram by a resolution so decides.” The two are identically worded because Article 371G gives legal force to an accord between the Union and the MNF. Article 370 made Kashmir’s Constituent Assembly the sole authority to accord consent to any addition to the Centre’s power and to further extension to Kashmir of India’s Constitution. Article 370 enabled the State government to accord its concurrence only subject to J&K’s Constituent Assembly’s concurrence. On July 9, 1953 Maulana Azad offered to Sheikh Abdullah that the Government of India “is willing to declare that the special position given to Kashmir will be made permanent without any conditions”.