Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): As Jammu and Kashmir marked the four years of abrogation of Article 370, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha claimed that doing away with the special status of the erstwhile state has made people lead a “peaceful life” saying youth were “following their passion”. The LG's statement came as life went on as normal with the major political party the PDP President saying she was house arrested by the police with other party leaders detained to foil the party's proposed program to observe the article abrogation anniversary as “black day.”
The PDP and another major party NC said that their offices were sealed on the occasion. LG Sinha speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at Srinagar's Sher Kashmir Convention Centre, said, "Today people are living in peace in Jammu and Kashmir. Street protests, closure of educational institutions, stone-pelting, and separatism have become things of the past."
"People are spending quality time in the city after sunset. There was a time when people used to rush to their homes at twilight but now they prefer spending time in markets and parks. Pakistan-backed propaganda has failed and peace has prevailed in the region. I feel this is the biggest achievement of rollback of Article 370," he added. As the LG was addressing the function, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said she had been house arrested at her Srinagar residence.
“I’ve been put under house arrest along with other senior PDP leaders today. This comes after a midnight crackdown where scores of my party men are illegally detained in police stations. GOIs false claims about normalcy to the SC stands exposed by theirs actions driven by paranoia,” Mehbooba said in a tweet.
Also read: J&K: PDP leaders detained ahead of Article 370 abrogation anniversary, says Mehbooba Mufti
“On one hand, giant hoardings calling upon Kashmiris to ‘celebrate’ the illegal abrogation of Article 370 have been put up across Srinagar. Whereas brute force is being used to choke the actual sentiment of the people. Hope the Hon’ble SC takes cognisance of these developments at a time when Article 370 has come up for hearing,” she added.
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The unprecedented growth and peace is a testament to the dedication, hard work, meticulous planning & implementation of team J&K. I dedicate these initiatives to the people, who are working with commitment to build Corruption-free, Fear-free & Aatmanirbhar J&K. pic.twitter.com/7O86rDBr90
— Office of LG J&K (@OfficeOfLGJandK) August 5, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">The unprecedented growth and peace is a testament to the dedication, hard work, meticulous planning & implementation of team J&K. I dedicate these initiatives to the people, who are working with commitment to build Corruption-free, Fear-free & Aatmanirbhar J&K. pic.twitter.com/7O86rDBr90
— Office of LG J&K (@OfficeOfLGJandK) August 5, 2023The unprecedented growth and peace is a testament to the dedication, hard work, meticulous planning & implementation of team J&K. I dedicate these initiatives to the people, who are working with commitment to build Corruption-free, Fear-free & Aatmanirbhar J&K. pic.twitter.com/7O86rDBr90
— Office of LG J&K (@OfficeOfLGJandK) August 5, 2023
Mehbooba further alleged that many leaders of her party had been detained by the police on the eve of the Article 370 abrogation anniversary. Meanwhile, the offices of PDP at Lal Chowk and NC at Zero Bridge were kept out of bounds for the visitors and workers. Around 10 PDP leaders, including their president, have been put in detention.
NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar said in a statement, "True to form and in keeping with the clampdown on mainstream democratic activities organized by parties opposed to 5th Aug 2019, the JKNC office has been sealed by the police. No one is being allowed in or out of the office”. However, PDP workers were able to take out a small protest march against the abrogation of Article 370.
Wearing black headbands while raising slogans demanding the restoration of Article 370, the workers managed to walk through the bylanes of the city's uptown. The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) organised a rally to celebrate the anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370. According to the BJP, the abrogation has brought peace, development, and prosperity to J&K.
On the eve of Article 370 abrogation anniversary, three Army soldiers were killed during an encounter in south Kashmir's Kulgam district. "On specific inputs regarding the presence of terrorists on higher reaches of Halan in Kulgam, operations launched by Security Forces on August 4, 2023. In exchange for firing with terrorists, three personnel sustained injuries and later succumbed," Army said in a tweet.
Situation in Jammu and Kashmir remained normal with public transport on roads, business establishments, and educational institutions functioning normally on the 4th anniversary of Article 370 abrogation.
