National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Monday that Article 370 was implemented due to concerns that people from Punjab might migrate to Jammu and Kashmir after partition and settle there.
“We didn’t bring Article 370. This was introduced and implemented by Maharaja Hari Singh in 1947. It was only out of fear that the people of Punjab would come here after partition and settle down and the poor people of our State would sell their land at lesser rates,” he said while addressing a press conference in Jammu.
Abdullah said that Maharaja Hari Singh introduced Article 370 to protect the locals of Jammu and Kashmir. “Maharaja Hari Singh introduced Article 370 to save the poor people of Jammu and Kashmir after the partition. He reserved the jobs only for the locals of J-K and Ladakh. This was Article 370,” he said.