‘Where are the restrictions? It is only in your mind’: HM Amit Shah
NEW DELHI : Union Home minister Amit Shah today claimed there is no restriction in Jammu and Kashmir any longer and the opposition was just spreading “misinformation” about the situation.
The minister also said that the government’s move to end J&K’s special status under the Article 370 and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories has been accepted by the international community as an internal matter of India.
Accusing the opposition of spreading false information, Mr Shah said “there is no curfew anywhere in 196 police stations in J&K. Restrictions under Section 144 Cr.PC, that prohibits assembly of more than four people and political processions, is imposed in eight police stations.
Landlines are functional, in fact after August 5, as many as 6,200 new PCOs were opened,” said Mr. Shah. He added that J&K would be the most developed State in the next 10 years.
“Where are the restrictions? It is only in your mind. There are no restrictions. Only misinformation about restrictions is being spread,” he said, addressing a seminar on national security in Delhi this afternoon. “People are free to move around anywhere in Kashmir. Many journalists from rest of India are also visiting Kashmir regularly,” he said.
Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Shah said all the world leaders have supported India’s move on Article 370. “All world leaders had gathered for seven days (in New York). Not a single leader has raised the issue (of Jammu and Kashmir). This is a big diplomatic victory of the Prime Minister,” he was quoted as saying by news agency pti.”The decision on Article 370 will strengthen the unity and integrity of India,” he said, adding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir will be completely normal soon.
Accusing former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of mishandling the Kashmir issue, Mr. Shah said that he committed a “Himalayan blunder” by approaching the United Nations on the subject.
“No telephone is not violation of human rights, the death of more than 41,000 people in J&K due to Article 370 is. Why can’t the champions of human rights see the pain of the widows of security forces who were killed in J&K all these years?” Mr. Shah said.
The ACB in J&K was, however, established on October 27, 2018 after the State Administrative Council under Governor Satyapal Malik gave the nod. The State is at present under President’s rule, and as per the J&K reorganisation Act, 2019, passed by Parliament on August 6, it will become a UT on October 31.
