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 improves.
Shah stressed how “not a single bullet has been fired nor a single person 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.
The home minister said the notion that only Article 370 protected the Kashmiri culture and identity was a wrong one, saying all regional identities are inherently protected by the Indian constitution. The BJP stalwart also pointed out that Article 370 was the root cause of cross-border terrorism.
Also referring to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which is being updated in Assam, Shah said some bold decisions are necessary to be made for people's benefit, without getting bogged down by the fear of a backlash.
He said the NRC must not be seen as a political exercise, as it is very important to have a national register of citizens in order to ensure that benefits of development reach all citizens.
High-level meet to review security situation
Amit Shah has called a high-level meeting of the police chiefs of all the states and central armed forces to review the security situation as well as examine the progress of concerned states on crucial suggestions made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year.
The meeting in the back drop of prevailing situation in Kashmir valley as well as talks of conducting NRC in several states to identify illegal immigrants makes it more relevant since the government is pushing to recalibrate the national security strategy.
The meeting is organised by Intelligence Bureau on October 14 and October 15 which will be chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah. The meeting will also be attended by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.
Respective Director Generals of Police, besides discussing vital security elements like radicalization, cyber security, naxalism and others, will also be presenting action taken report of their states.
"Cyber crime and ISIS influence in Indian sub continent will be the major issue apart from police moderation and judicial reformation," said a senior IPS officer, who will also be participating in the meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Home Minister Rajnath Singh, now the Defence Minister, had been pushing police chiefs to work in seamless co-ordination to thwart looming threats.
Modi had suggested the police forces to be vigilant in countering the dark forces of radicalization, and to engender trust among all communities across the nation. He had stressed on the importance of Inter-State coordination, in tackling crime and emphasized on the need for capacity building in the police forces, on the subject of cyber security.
He had also suggested that all the states should learn best practices from the Jammu and Kashmir police force for their role in countering terrorists, and successfully engaging them.
