A year on, normalcy yet to return
RESTRICTIONS Large parts of Srinagar cordoned off with barbed wire on first anniversary of nullification of Article 370; former CM Abdullah says meeting of mainstream leaders foiled
SRINAGAR/JAMMU: Most residents of Srinagar and rural districts in the Kashmir valley stayed indoors on Wednesday, the first anniversary of the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, as security forces kept a high profile ,clamped restrictions on public movement, blocking many roads with concertina wire, and thwarted a meeting of mainstream political parties.
Although no curfew had been enforced at any place in the valley, only people with special passes were permitted to move on the roads. The streets of Srinagar were deserted and the police and Central Reserve Police Force reinforced their presence to implement restrictions, ostensibly because of the Covid-19 outbreak .
Lal Chowk, the business nerve centre of Srinagar, was also closed, with barbed wire and barricades erected to prevent entry into the neighbourhood.
Police vehicles fitted with public address systems went around Srinagar soon after daybreak, announcing the imposition of restrictions for combating the spread of Covid-19. “There is a ban on assembly of more than three persons and people are requested not to violate the law and stay indoors,” the police said.
On August 5 a year ago, the Centre pushed through key constitutional changes to revoke Article 370 that had conferred special status on Jammu and Kashmir and Article 35A that allowed its legislature to define permanent residents for whom government jobs and property ownership were reserved. The state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union territories, J&K and Ladakh.
The main road leading towards the house of Srinagar MP and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Gupkar road was blocked by the police and no one was allowed on the road. Abdullah had called a meeting of mainstream leaders at his house.
Former J&K chief minister and his son, Omar Abdullah, wrote on Twitter: ‘’One year on, this is Gupkar road today- police vehicles opposite our gates, concertina wire strung across the road at regular intervals & no vehicles allowed. My father had called a meeting of leaders of mainstream parties to deliberate on the current situation.’’
‘’Clearly the meeting is not being allowed to go ahead. The BJP gets to announce a 15-day celebration to mark 5th August & a handful of us aren’t allowed to meet in my father’s lawn. So much for BJP national leaders wondering why there is no political activity,’’ he added.
Peoples Democratic Party leader and Rajya Sabha member Fayaz Mir told reporters that he was not allowed by the security forces to move towards the house of Farooq Abdullah.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary, Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, who lives close to the house of Farooq Abdullah in government accommodation, said the gates to the Abdullah/or his own residence had been locked.
“Lockdowns as celebrations and lies as defences have been the hall mark of the last year. Today, political leaders were supposed to meet at Dr Farooq Abdullah’s residence to discuss the political challenges region is facing. But unfortunately, we were not allowed,” Tarigami said.
The Congress party said an “undeclared curfew” had been clamped in the whole of Kashmir and alleged that several Congress leaders in the had been arrested or detained.
“This is despite the fact that Congress had announced that no physical protest would be held except our democratic protest against the Centre’s actions which continues since August 5 last year and the online campaign is going on in a peaceful manner,” said Ravinder Sharma, chief spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress.
TRANSFORMATION
The government said last year that the constitutional changes would give the people of Jammu and Kashmir access to the benefits of affirmative action available to the people of the rest of India and bring faster development to the state. On Wednesday, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said both Union territories were being transformed.
On the microblogging site Twitter, Jaishankar highlighted the application of progressive laws, delivery of social justice, empowerment of vulnerable sections and economic development projects as part of the transformation.He also listed the expansion of education and employment opportunities and advancement of women’s rights.
“A transformation is underway in Jammu & Kashmir and in Ladakh,” Jaishankar wrote.
The BJP’s Kashmir unit on Wednesday celebrated the first anniversary of the revocation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
“There used to be stone pelting during encounters, that has stopped. There used to be ISIS flag, Pakistani flag... that has stopped. That is what we are celebrating,” BJP leader Altaf Thakur told reporters at the party office in Jawahar Nagar.
The constitutional changes were accompanied by a security crackdown to forestall protests against the moves. Hundreds of mainstream and separatist politicians were taken into preventive detention and telecom services restricted.
Ishfaq Ahmad, a Kashmir University student said that Kashmiri people will never forget what happened to them on this day last year. “The pain could be seen in every house old here; whether young or old, they feel they have lost their identity,’’ Ahmad said.
The day passed peacefully. IGP Vijay Kumar said: “A grenade was hurled which caused no damage.”