J&K MLA Sajad Lone Calls for Focus on 1947 Promises in Discussion of Region's Political Status

People's Conference chairman and MLA Sajad Lone said on Monday (September 28) that promises made in 1947 should be the basis for any discussion on Jammu and Kashmir's political status and its relationship with India. Speaking in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Lone said that he has "full respect" for the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court, but asserted that Jammu and Kashmir's presence in India rests on promises made to its people in 1947. Sajad Lone said, "I have full respect for the Prime Minister of India and the Supreme Court of India. But if we are here today, it is not because of any promise made by the Prime Minister or the Supreme Court. We are here because promises were made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947." He said that the basic structure envisaged an arrangement in which the people of Jammu and Kashmir would have a meaningful role in running their government and have autonomy and their own decision-making powers.