New Delhi: 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.
Interacting with probationers of the 2018 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS) here, Shah said “not a single bullet has been fired or not a single person has 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.
Shah said Jammu and Kashmir would not remain a UT forever and the statehood would be returned once situation is normalised, according to an official release.
The Home minister said the notion that only the Article 370 protected the Kashmiri culture and identity was a wrong one, stating that all regional identities are inherently protected by the Indian
constitution.
Misuse of the Article 370 is the root cause of cross-border militancy, he said.
Shah said only 10 police stations areas in Kashmir, out of 196, have Section 144 of the CrPC in force.
On making “tough, yet right decisions”, Shah said some bold decisions are necessary to be made for people’s benefit, without getting bogged down by the fear of a backlash and referred to the
decision taken on Article 370 by the Narendra Modi government. Referring to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which is being updated in Assam, the Home Minister said the NRC was essential
not just for the national security but for good governance as well.
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.
Shah encouraged the IPS probationers to be proud to be part of a service that is continuously working to ensure safety and security of the people.
PTI

Press Trust of India