Jammu: The ruling National Conference (NC) today staged a strong protest outside the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, demanding the immediate restoration of the territory’s statehood and an end to the growing harassment of Kashmiris inside India.

According to Beyond the Time News, NC legislators assembled outside the Assembly complex in Jammu, holding placards and raising slogans calling for the reversal of New Delhi’s unilateral actions and the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status.

The protesters said the continued denial of statehood reflects New Delhi’s disregard for democratic norms and the popular mandate of the people.

The NC leaders said that occupied Jammu and Kashmir has been reduced to an administrative unit ruled through bureaucratic and security-driven mechanisms, depriving its people of meaningful political empowerment. They maintained that the restoration of statehood is essential to safeguard the rights, dignity and identity of the people of the territory.

The legislators also condemned the increasing incidents of intimidation, profiling and harassment of Kashmiris living and working in other parts of India. They said Kashmiris are being targeted on the basis of their identity, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity for students, traders and labourers outside the occupied territory.

People’s Democratic Party MLA Muntazir Mehdi also joined the protest while carrying a placard in support of the demand for statehood. Speaking to reporters, Mehdi said he was supporting the cause of restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, stressing that it is a collective issue that transcends party lines