J&K bill rejected

The J&K assembly speaker on Thursday rejected a People’s Democratic Party legislator’s private member’s bill seeking deletion of an important provision in the state’s constitution that bars any legislation challenging J&K’s status as India’s integral part. The state has a separate constitution by virtue of its special status under Article 370. “I had sought deletion of sub clause (b) of Section 147 of the J&K constitution that would allow any legislator to move a bill seeking a rethink on Section 3 and Section 5 that declare Jammu & Kashmir an integral part of India,” said Nizam-ud-din Bhat, who represents north Kashmir’s Bandipora constituency. The PDP dissociated itself from Bhat’s move. “There was no question of supporting the bill if the speaker would have admitted it,’’ said party spokesman Nayeem Akhtar.