Jammu, July 12 -- The recent controversy over restoring July 13 as a public holiday to commemorate Martyrs' Day in the Kashmir valley has escalated into a full-blown political slugfest, with each party accusing the other of exploiting the issue for political gain.
After the Abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A, the two-state holidays on July 13 and December 5 (the birthday of NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah) were deleted from the list of public holidays by the LG administration on December 28, 2019. Since then, the regional political parties have not been allowed to enter the Mazaar-e-Shuhada, martyrs' graveyard, to offer prayers.
Now, after the formation of the Omar Abdullah-led Government, there has been a growing demand from the Kas...