AIP to Observe Aug 5 as ‘Day of Disempowerment’; Slams Detention of PAC Chairman Sheikh Khursheed, Crackdown on Protest – Alfaaz – The Words

Alfaaz – The Words Desk

Srinagar: The Awami Ittihad Party (AIP) has announced its decision to observe August 5 as a “Day of Disempowerment”, marking the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, which revoked the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The party said it had planned a peaceful protest led by MLA Langate and AIP Political Affairs Committee (PAC) Chairman Sheikh Khursheed. However, the party alleges that authorities thwarted the demonstration by placing the senior party leader under house arrest.

Sheikh Khursheed talking to Alfaaz – The Words, said the protest was meant to highlight the “systematic erosion of democratic rights, the unjust downgrading of a historic state into a Union Territory, and the continued disenfranchisement of its people, all carried out without the consent of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”

He emphasized that the demonstration was not just about Article 370 but about the deeper political marginalization that followed. “The abrogation robbed the region of its constitutional safeguards, representative voice, and administrative autonomy, leading to deep-seated alienation,” Khursheed asserted.

Condemning the detention of party leadership to prevent them from taking out the protest, the party in a media statement said the Jammu and Kashmir administration “blatantly suppressed democratic rights” by detaining AIP PAC Chairman and MLA Sheikh Khursheed and “forcefully preventing” the peaceful protest. The party termed the action as an “authoritarian crackdown” that exposes the “hollow narrative of normalcy in the region.”

Party spokesperson Adv. Shahnawaz Mir said, “The house arrest of our MLA Langate is a direct attack on the voice of the electorate and an attempt to silence the legitimate grievances of the region’s citizens.”

“By stifling our right to peacefully protest, the authorities have again demonstrated their disregard for democratic principles and the aspirations of the people,” he said.

Calling upon all democratic forces to stand in solidarity, the AIP urged the international community to take cognizance of what it described as the “ongoing curtailment of freedoms in Jammu and Kashmir.”

Despite the restrictions, the party reiterated its unwavering commitment to advocate for justice, dignity, and the restoration of constitutional and democratic rights. “The struggle for justice will continue, and no amount of repression can extinguish the will of the people,” Mir asserted.