Jammu and Kashmir News highlights: Reorganisation Bill gets Parliament nod

DMK President MK Stalin has called for an all-party meeting on Saturday, August 10 to discuss the next course of action regarding the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill, 2019 passed in Parliament, today.

A Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is underway at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi and is likely to discuss the Kashmir issue, party sources said.  The meeting comes in the wake of the government's decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370 which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The Congress appears divided on the issue, with party leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora among others supporting the government even as the party opposed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in both houses of Parliament. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the "momentous decision" in the Lok Sabha which passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisaton Bill. Taking to Twitter, Modi said he salutes "my sisters and brothers of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh for their courage and resilience," adding that "for years, vested interest groups who believed in emotional blackmail never cared for people’s empowerment. J&K is now free from their shackles. A new dawn, better tomorrow awaits!"

"The passage of key Bills pertaining to Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are a fitting tribute to the great Sardar Patel, who worked for India’s unity, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, whose views are well known and Dr. SP Mookerjee who devoted his life for India’s unity and integrity," he said.

Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hailed the government's decision to revoke certain provisions of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. "Thank you Prime Minister. Thank you very much. I was waiting to see this day in my lifetime," she tweeted.

A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah diluted the special status to Jammu and Kashmir guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution without scrapping the provision, the Lok Sabha passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill which seeks to divide the state into two Union Territories.

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said Tuesday he supported the government's decision to revoke special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate it into two union territories. Taking to Twitter, Scindia said "I support the move on Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and its full integration into the union of India. Would have been better if the constitutional process had been followed. No questions could have been raised then. Nevertheless, this is in our country’s interest and I support this."

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan told the joint sitting of Parliament that Islamabad is considering approaching the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over the Kashmir issue. The joint sitting of Pakistan Parliament was called to discuss the country’s future course of action after India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Read more here

Ravi Shankar Prasad in Lok Sabha: "Today the people from the opposition who are talking about Article 370, did they speak when Human Rights were being violated in Pakistan occupied Kashmir? Even today Human Rights are violated in PoK. These are bigger questions."

J&K People's Party Movement's chief Shah Faesal described the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir as "unprecedented horror".
"Everyone is heartbroken. A sense of defeat written on every face. Fall. From citizens to subjects. History has taken a catastrophic turn for all of us.
People are numb. A people whose land, identity, history, was stolen, in broad day light," he said.

A day after the Centre withdrew the special status of Kashmir by rendering the Article 370 inoperative, Goa Ports Minister Michael Lobo on Tuesday said he would buy land for constructing his house in Kashmir, where he intends to stay after retiring from politics.

Lobo was speaking in the Legislative Assembly during the motion congratulating the Union government for its "historic" decision on Jammu and Kashmir through which the state has been reorganised into two Union Territories (UTs).

"I am planning to buy land in Kashmir. I want to build a house there. I will invite all my legislator friends there," the BJP MLA said. (PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created history with his clarity and determination on the Kashmir issue, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said on Tuesday, asserting that the vision of party's ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee has proved correct and that of Jawaharlal Nehru a "failure".

In a blog following the government's move to revoke provisions of Article 370 giving Jammu and Kashmir a special status, he took a dig at the Congress over its opposition to the exercise. He termed it a "headless chicken" and said its leadership is determined to succeed in its race to the bottom.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to oppose the arrest of mainstream Kashmiri political leaders. "Kashmir’s mainstream political leaders have been jailed at secret locations. This is unconstitutional and undemocratic. It is also short-sighted and foolish because it will allow terrorists to fill the leadership vacuum created by the government. The imprisoned leaders must be released."

Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday reiterated that National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah was not detained and did not come to the proceedings in the Lok Sabha on his own free will. "I have made it clear thrice, Farooq Abdullah ji is at his home, he is not under house arrest, he is not under detention. He is in good health, mauj-masti mein hain, unko nahi ana hai toh gun kanpatti par rakh kar bahar nahi la sakte hum (he is fine. if he doesn't want to come to LS, I can't bring him here at gunpoint)."

Speaking on the government's move to revoke the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir by modifying Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into union territories, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah told NDTV it was like "your body was being carved", adding "we will not give in". He said he last saw his son and NC leader Omar Abdullah last night before his arrest.  Read here

Abdullah denied Amit Shah's claims that he was neither arrested nor detained and was at his home on his own free will.

During discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said: "We are with the country. But now my question is about the status of Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Government should answer this."

Follow Parliament LIVE updates here

National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah is neither detained nor arrested, Home Minister Amit Shah clarified in the Lok Sabha Tuesday. He is at
his home of his own will, he said. 

UN chief Antonio Guterres has said he was following "with concern" the tense situation in the India-Pakistan region after the Indian government scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and urged the two neighbours to exercise restraint.

The Indian government on Monday revoked Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Rajya Sabha approved the resolution abrogating Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir and a bill to bifurcate the state into two union territories Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, with Home Minister Amit Shah saying the controversial provisions were responsible for poverty and lack of development in the state.

"We are following with concern the tense situation in the region... We urge all parties to exercise restraint," Guterres's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a press briefing here on Monday. (PTI)

The nephew of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee said on Tuesday that the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution was "promoting disharmony" among the people and needed to be changed. "Separate provisions of Article 370 is promoting and harbouring disharmony among people. So it was necessary to change it," Mookerjee told PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister  Mamata Banerjee says, "We cannot support this bill. We cannot vote for this bill. They should have spoken to all political parties and the Kashmiris. If you need to arrive at a permanent solution, then you have to talk to all stakeholders. I have no information about Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. I appeal to the government that they should not feel isolated. They are not terrorists. They should be released in the interest of the democratic institutions," reported news agency ANI. 

In Lok Sabha, Minister of State in PMO and MP from Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Jitnedra Singh, said, "The common man in the streets of Srinagar is rejoicing the abrogation of Article 370. There is, however, a veil of fear that is hindering them." He also said Article 370 was a miscarriage of history and it was the greatest mistake done by the previous regime to the people of Kashmir. He said only Modi and Shah had the political will to revoke it.

Ruckus ensues in Parliament of Pakistan as the Opposition objects to Prime Minister Imran Khan's absence from the joint session to hold a discussion on Kashmir. Session proceedings stopped even before starting as the Speaker left for his chamber, The Dawn reported.

The situation in all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir is totally peaceful, amid unprecedented security cover and restrictions. There are no untoward reports from anywhere in the state, Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh said from Srinagar. In Srinagar city, where there has been a virtual communications blackout with few phones and internet connections, people who have urgent work are being allowed to move despite strict restrictions, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Choduhary said. (PTI)

TMC' Sudip Bandhyopadhyay says, "We feel that Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah are arrested unnecessarily. If we take part in the voting of this Bill, we'll become a party to this Bill. So, we have decided to walk out."

Breaking his silence on Article 370, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to question the BJP-led NDA government's move. "This abuse of executive power has grave implications for our national security," he tweeted. "National integration isn’t furthered by unilaterally tearing apart J&K, imprisoning elected representatives and violating our Constitution. This nation is made by its people, not plots of land," he further said.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi last week wrote a letter to the UN in which it warned that India was "preparing ground" to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Foreign Office has said. The Foreign Office on Monday night issued the text of the letter Qureshi sent on August 1 to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the UN Security Council and President of the UN General Assembly. Qureshi in the letter highlighted the "deteriorating" human rights situation in Kashmir, an alleged violation of ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and India ending Kashmir's special constitutional status.

DMK's Thalikkottai Baalu says that the will of the people is not reflected in the move. "You are reducing a mighty state government into two municipalities. You have a clear majority. The Bill can be passed easily. Is this what this is about? All I am concerned about is the rule of law. This was not followed here."

In light of the prevailing tensions in the Valley, General Officer Commanding in Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh chaired a meeting of the Core Group of Intelligence and Security agencies at Srinagar today to review the operational readiness. He said, "Necessary security arrangements have been put in place for ensuring peace and security"A picture of the meeting was also posted on the Northern Command's official account.

"Article370 is a blot on India. It has only created a divided between Jammu Kashmir and the world. No investments, no jobs - what has it given to us. Because of this, the state has remained backwards," Jugal Kishore Sharma, BJP Jammu MP said.

"Indian constitution does not have only Article 370. It also has Article 371 A to I. They provide special rights to Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Andhra, Sikkim etc. Today when you're scrapping Article 370, what message are you sending to these states? That you can revoke Article 371 tomorrow? By imposing President's rule in the north eastern states, and using the rights of their Assemblies in the Parliament, you can scrap Article 371 too? What kind of Constitutional precedent are you setting in the country?" Manish Tewari said.

Meanwhile, check out the range of “special provisions” provided by the Indian Constitution to 11 other states. Read more

Dayanidhi Maran, DMK MP questioned the absence of National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. "Farooq Abdullah, a member of the House is missing when we are discussing such an important topic. We have no intimation about his whereabouts. You as a Speaker should protect the members. You should be neutral."

Congress leader Manish Tewari says that after Independence, Maharaja Hari Singh had signed a standstill agreement with Pakistan, which India had refused to sign. It was Jawaharlal Nehru's government which had protected Jammu and Kashmir when it was under attack from Pakistan, he adds. "In last 70 years, several times we saw demands that union territories be converted into states but this is probably the first time in history that a state has been converted into a union territory. There cannot be a bigger blow to federal structure than this"

"According to the instrument of annexation, any changes in the Constitution can be made only with the consensus of the state government. In Jammu and Kashmir, where is the Constituent Assembly? Section 3 of the Constitution says consultation with assembly should be done before changing the boundaries of any state" Congress leader Manish Tiwari said. When BJP questioned Congress' move of dividing Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Tiwari said, "We had spoken with the government at state. This is in the record of Parliament. In Jammu and Kashmir's case, you have the wrong interpretation of the Constitution."

"This is a historic moment in India's history. What we're are discussing today will impact generations. Many have been questioning the legality of the President Order that I brought in Rajya Sabha yesterday. According to Presidential order from yesterday, by Article 370 (1d) all the Centre's laws will apply to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. There is a resolution according to which using Article 370 (3), Article 370 can be scrapped. Parliament has the right to make laws on Jammu & Kashmir." Appealing to the House to vote in favour for the Bill, Shah adds, "This bill and resolution will ensure that J&K will remain with India forever."

"Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India. There are no second thoughts on it. There is ample clarity in both the Indian Constitution as well as the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. When I talk about Jammu and Kashmir, it includes POK. Parliament has full power to make laws and what we are doing is not a political move," Amit Shah said. 

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhry addressing Lok Sabha said, "I don't think you are thinking about PoK, you violated all rules and converted a state into a Union Territory overnight. Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir are under house arrest. We are not getting to know anything,  But it is being monitored since 1948 by the UN, is that an internal matter? We signed Shimla Agreement & Lahore Declaration, what that an internal matter or bilateral? I want to be enlightened if this is an internal matter." Amit Shah and Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha Ranjan Chowdhury engage in a heated debate after the latter asks the Home Minister to clarify why the issue is being considered only as an internal matter and not a bilateral one.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah have arrived at Parliament. A meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national working president JP Nadda, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar & Nitin Gadkari is underway, at the Parliament. A Congress Working Committee meeting is also going to be held later in the day. Follow Parliament LIVE updates here

A US-based media watchdog has urged India to ensure access to internet and communications services in Kashmir, which were suspended in the Valley as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order. "A large-scale communication disruption at such a crucial time for Kashmir is an egregious violation of citizens' rights to information from a free press," said Aliya Iftikhar, senior researcher for Committee to Protect Journalists' Asia programme.

As a decision regarding their state was taken in Rajya Sabha, Kashmiri students in Delhi said anxiety grew as they were unable to talk to those back home. The last time St Stephen’s student Saqib Yetoo spoke to his parents in Anantnag was around 9 pm Sunday. His mother told him, “Hum tumhe khuda ke hawale kar rahe hai, tum bhi hume khuda ke hawale kar do.” Since then, Yetoo has been unable to contact them: “I even tried calling the local police station, but in vain.”

An MPhil student at DU, who has been unable to contact her family in Baramulla, said: “The phone call last night felt like a farewell because nobody has any idea when we will speak again.”

After the Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and other secretaries briefed the ambassadors of the US, UK, France, China and Russia, among others. Some other major countries, including Germany, Canada, Japan and ASEAN countries, were also briefed. The UNSC members were chosen for the first batch of briefing since Pakistan is expected to take up the issue there.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following with concern the tense situation in the India-Pakistan region and urges all parties to exercise restraint, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, adding that the UN is also aware of reports of restrictions in Kashmir in India. Answering another question on whether the UN chief intends to play a role in resolving the issue, Dujarric said, "We are very concerned about the rise in tensions. As for the Secretary General's role, he has often expressed his position on that and his position remains the same," a reference to the UN chief's position that his good offices are always available should "both sides" ask for it.

The rupee rebounded from the five month low and appreciated by 26 paise to 70.47 against the US dollar in early trade Tuesday amid positive opening in domestic equity market. On Monday, the domestic currency had suffered the biggest single-day drop in past six years -- to close at a five-month low of 70.73, owing to heavy capital outflows by investors anxious over the US-China trade tension, a sharp devaluation in yuan and uncertainty over Kashmir issue.

In Pakistan, President Dr Arif Alvi has summoned an emergency joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament to discuss the ongoing situation in Kashmir, The Dawn reported. The members of parliament are also expected to pass a resolution to condemn the Indian government’s action at the conclusion of the sitting, it added.

From property-related laws, criminal laws to crucial central laws like Right to Information & Education — these will be among the many that will be applicable to the proposed Union Territories (UTs), Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after the loss of Article 370. Under the new provision, citizens can settle in the two proposed UTs and also buy land.  The state that is now governed through its own constitution is set to lose legal status; the state flag would also lack recognition. The red flag with a plough and three stripes — representing the regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh — was hoisted along with the tricolour. Read more

Domestic equity benchmark BSE Sensex rebounded over 200 points and the NSE Nifty reclaimed the 10,900 level in early trade on Tuesday led by gains in banking and auto stocks. The 30-share index was trading 214.96 points, or 0.59 per cent, higher at 36,914.80 at 0930 hours. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty was quoting 68.65 points, or 0.63 per cent, up at 10,931.25. In the previous session on Monday, both benchmark indices saw an intense volatility throughout the session due to multiple headwinds like escalation in US-China trade war, weak corporate earnings, rupee downfall and political tensions in Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI)

“Every step in the Valley had the Amit Shah touch — it was his mission, and he has succeeded in it,” a party leader said after the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 was passed in Rajya Sabha. As Home Minister, Shah brought urgency to the move. The flawless execution is set to become Shah’s first signature stroke in national politics. According to one party leader, it appears that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah were aware of the complete plan, and senior ministers were given information on “piecemeal basis”.

Jammu and Kashmir has lost its special status, and reduced to two Union Territories. What is the history of Partition and accession to India that has been overturned? What are Articles 370 and 35A, that were supposed to define the special status of the state? Prof Faizan Mustafa, an expert of constitutional law, explains. Read more

The developments of August 5, 2019, are in no small measure about rewriting history, changing that very demography, and bringing in a new idea of India, with the stamp of Narendra Modi firmly on it. The changes are no less than historic, they draw an audacious red line over and across the Nehruvian idea of India. But what is this new idea of India, and how will it be given shape? Read more

This is not the dawn of a new constitutional settlement, designed to elicit free allegiance. It is repression, plain and simple, reminiscent of the Reichstag or Chinese constitutional ideology that sees federalism as an obstacle to a strong state and homogenous culture. Read more

With the Centre’s decision to strip the preferential status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state, political disagreement has taken centre-stage and experts have raised questions on the legality of the move. The government sought to dilute the special status to Jammu and Kashmir guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution without scrapping the provision. The debate now is that it did so without bringing a Constitutional amendment that would require two-thirds majority in Parliament.  Read More

In a momentous decision to confine Article 370 of the Constitution to the dustbin of history and rewrite the political landscape of the country, the BJP-led NDA government Monday revoked the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir and secured Rajya Sabha’s approval for a Bill to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature similar to Puducherry, and Ladakh without one like Chandigarh. The Bill was passed with a two-thirds majority of the members present in Rajya Sabha. In Lok Sabha, the statutory resolution scrapping the special status was passed by a voice vote in the evening. The bifurcation Bill will be taken up in Lok Sabha Tuesday. With special provisions gone, Indian laws will now apply to the newly created Union Territories. Read More

Congress party has issued a three-line whip to its Lok Sabha MPs to be present in the House tomorrow when the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 will be tabled. The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha today. 

In Mattancherry’s popular Jew Town, Kashmiri traders have been working for decades. On Monday, they sat on wooden stools outside their shops, keenly following the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha. Read here

Former J&K chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah arrested. Apart from them J&K People's Conference leaders Sajjad Lone, Imran Ansari have also been arrested, PTI reports.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 was passed by the Parliament Monday with the support of 121 MPs, paving way for the bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Here's what the bill proposes

The Presidential order signed by the President of India has not scrapped Article 370. But invoking this very article special status of Jammu & Kashmir has been withdrawn. Thus Article 370 is very much on the statute book. The Indian Express explains

Speaking on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill that seeks to bifurcate the state into Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Rajya Sabha, "Several MPs have asked how long will J&K remain a Union Territory- I want to assure them when situation gets normal & the right time comes, we're ready to make J&K a state again. It may take a little longer, but it will become a state once again, one day."

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD)'s decision to support the NDA government's resolution to scrap Article 370 was guided by the opinion of party supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, a party MP said on Monday.

Rajya Sabha MP Prasanna Acharya said Jammu and Kashmir in real sense has now become an integral part of the country. BJD, which which is neither a constituent of the NDA nor of the opposition UPA, has seven members in the upper house of Parliament.

"We welcome the government's decision. This is the opinion of my party, our party president Sri Naveen Patnaik and myself," Acharya told PTI from Delhi.

"In real sense, today Jammu and Kashmir has become an integral part of India. All of us wait to see when PoK will become a part of India. For us, the nation comes first. The freedom, integrity and sovereignty of Bharat Mata are paramount for BJD," he added.

Another Rajya Sabha MP from the party, Sasmit Patra, in a video message said that the issue of Kashmir was an emotional one for all Indians.