Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said delimitation in Jammu Kashmir will be followed by elections and restoration of statehood.
In his first visit to the Valley since Article 370 was revoked two years ago, the Home Minister also held a security review at a high level meeting besides visited the family of a police officer killed by militants earlier this year.
“Why should we stop delimitation? Nothing is going to stop. After delimitation, there will be elections and then restoration of statehood,” Amit Shah said in an address to members of youth clubs in Srinagar here.
He also said the revocation of Article 370 is “irreversible” and sought to defend imposing of curfew and communication blockade following the August 5, 2019 by saying it was done to save lives.
“There was a lot of criticism about why there is curfew, why there is internet shutdown. I will answer. First I want to ask a question. For 70 years, three families ruled here. Why were 40,000 people killed in Kashmir? Do you have an answer?”
“During that time [when Article 370 was revoked], they tried to incite people. A conspiracy was hatched, some foreign powers were part of it. How many fathers would have shouldered coffins of their young sons if we had not imposed a curfew. Who was saved by imposing the curfew? The youth of Kashmir was saved.”
The Home Minister said the abrogation of special status changed Kashmir’s narrative from militancy to development.
Earlier Amit Shah arrived here on 3-day trip and drove straight to meet the family of a police officer, Parvaiz Ahmad Dar, killed by militants near his residence at Nowgam here earlier this year.
Shah offered his condolences to the family and handed over documents of appointment to a government job to Ahmad’s widow, Fatima Akhtar, on compassionate grounds, a home ministry official said.
Later Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in the backdrop of the targeted killings of civilians.
During the meeting, held at the Raj Bhavan here, the home minister was briefed on steps taken on security from and counter-infiltration measures by the security forces, officials said.
The meeting was attended by top civil administration officials, including the lieutenant governor and senior security officials from the Army, CRPF, police and other agencies, they said. (GNS)