Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that following the abrogation of Article 370, the involvement of youth in extremist or militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir has almost dwindled to zero.
Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Shah asserted that no one glorifies “militants and militancy” in Jammu and Kashmir any longer, a practice that, he claimed, was routine under the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
He highlighted the transformation in the region’s security landscape post the removal of Article 370.
“After the removal of Article 370, the involvement of Indian youth with terrorists has almost disappeared. Ten years ago, terrorist glorification was common, and funeral processions would take place. But now, when terrorists are killed, they are buried on the spot. Relatives of terrorists who once enjoyed government perks have been ruthlessly removed from government posts to send a strong message,” Shah stated.
Expressing gratitude to the framers of the Constitution, Shah said, “I want to thank our Constitution makers for making Article 370 temporary and providing a solution for its removal within the same article.
However, vote bank politics kept it safeguarded. But on August 5, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the historic step of removing it, marking the beginning of a new era of Kashmir’s integration with the rest of India.”
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Speaking during a discussion on the functioning of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Rajya Sabha, Shah recalled past incidents of terrorism in the Valley.
“Militants used to enter Kashmir from the neighbouring country; they used to execute bomb blasts and killings here. There was not one festival which used to be celebrated without any worry. Central governments had a flexible attitude. They used to be quiet and were scared of speaking… They were worried about their vote bank,” he said.
He reiterated the government's commitment to a stringent policy against terrorism, citing military responses to cross-border attacks.
“After PM Narendra Modi came to power, we displayed a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. There were attacks even after we came to power – on Uri and Pulwama…Within 10 days, we entered Pakistan and gave them a reply through airstrike and surgical strike… The zero-tolerance policy against terrorism started there. Article 370 was the basis for separatism in Kashmir… But Article 370 was removed in Parliament on 5th August 2019,” he stated.
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