Amit Shah: Jammu and Kashmir won't remain Union Territory forever

Amit Shah

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said Jammu and Kashmir will not remain a Union Territory (UT) forever and the statehood to it would be restored once the security situation is improved there. Interacting with the probationers of the 2018 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS) here, Shah also said "not a single bullet has been fired or not a single person has died" after the abrogation of the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and its division into two UTs on August 5.

"Jammu and Kashmir would not remain a Union Territory forever and that the statehood would be returned once the situation is normalised," the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in an official statement quoting Shah. The home minister said the notion that only the Article 370 protected the Kashmiri culture and identity was a wrong one, saying all regional identities are inherently protected by the Indian constitution.

Misuse of the Article 370 is the root cause of cross-border terrorism, he said. Shah said only 10 police stations areas in Kashmir, out of 196, have Section 144 of the CrPC in force. On making "tough, yet right decisions", Shah said some bold decisions are necessary to be made for people's benefit, without getting bogged down by the fear of a backlash and referred to the decision taken on Article 370 by the Narendra Modi government.

Advisory for tourists lifted J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik on Monday directed the lifting of an over two-month-old advisory, which asked tourists to leave the Valley. It will be in effect from October 10.

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