Patna: Full statehood will be restored in Jammu and Kashmir at an “appropriate time”, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Saturday. He also assured a “good resolution” to the demands of people in Ladakh.
According to Shah, the situation is Jammu and Kashmir changed totally after abrogation of Article 370. “No local terrorist has been recruited in the last nine months,” he said.
“This is a qualitative change that Jammu and Kashmir, where separatism had been festering since the 1990s, witnessed. Earlier, Pakistan felt no need to send terrorists from across the border. They used to place arms in the hands of our children. Now the situation has changed. The people of Jammu and Kashmir feel they belong to the entire country and the entire country belongs to them,” Shah said at the media conclave organised by ABP News and Hindustan.
“Today, democracy has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir. Panchayat and municipal polls have taken place, and so have elections for the legislative assembly. Rajya Sabha elections will also take place at some time,” the home minister said.
When asked about a statement by Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, regarding a “gulf” remaining between Srinagar and New Delhi on the issue of statehood not being restored even after a year of his swearing in, Shah said: “He (Abdullah) may be saying this out of political compulsions. But statehood would be restored at an appropriate time. And it will be done following discussions with him.”
On the recent agitations in Ladakh, Shah said the Union government is “in talks with the committees of Leh and Kargil”.
“We urge the people to have patience. There will be a good resolution of all their just demands,” he said.
On the possibility of the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk, Shah replied: “I can speak of the demands of the people. Not about any individual. As far as his (Wangchuk’s) case is concerned, the matter is before the court, which will take a decision on the basis of evidence at hand”.
Calling ultra-Left ideology “the sin of forcing tribal areas to remain undeveloped”, the home minister said: “In the 11 years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in power, we have demolished at least 600 Maoist camps, dried up their finances and blocked their access to weapons. I would like to declare that Maoism will be completely wiped out by December 31, 2026.”
