If Jammu residents demand state, we shouldn’t hold them back: Junaid Azim Mattu

Srinagar, Jan 18: Former Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu on Sunday said that a separation of Jammu from Kashmir would be beneficial for Kashmir, asserting that the idea of a “united” Jammu and Kashmir had no historical, cultural or linguistic basis.

As per KNS, Mattu said the political arrangement between the two regions originated from the Treaty of Amritsar, which he described as an unjust agreement that Kashmiris never accepted.

He said Kashmir had borne the brunt of decades of unrest, losing thousands of lives, while Jammu received sympathy and concessions during the same period.

Mattu alleged that government policies over the years had disproportionately favoured Jammu, particularly in reservation policies and access to opportunities. He said the current reservation framework primarily benefited communities in Jammu, while Kashmiri Muslims were being pushed out of professional and economic spaces.

According to Mattu, shrinking opportunities for Kashmiri youth and entrepreneurs reflected what he described as collective political punishment.