Nehru approaching UN on J-K was more than a Himalayan blunder: Shah

Union HomeMinister Amit Shah on Sunday faulted Jawaharlal Nehru's handling of Jammu and Kashmir, saying approaching the United Nations on the issue was "more than a Himalayan blunder", and asserted that the entire world has supported the move to abrogate the state's special status under Article 370.

Shah said that there are no restrictions in the Valley now and expressed confidence that Jammu and Kashmir will be the most developed region in the country in the next 10 years because of the bold step taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5.

"In 1948, India went to United Nations. That was a Himalayan blunder. It is more than a Himalayan blunder," he said at a seminar on national security organised by Samkalp Former Civil Servants Forum at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) here.

"India approached the UN under Article 35 of the UN Charter which deals with disputed land. Had they approached under Article 51 of the UN Charter, it would have been a matter of illegal occupation by Pakistan on Indian land," he said.

The minister accused the opposition of spreading "misinformation" about restrictions in the Kashmir valley. "Where are the restrictions ? It is only in your mind. There are no restrictions. Only misinformation about restrictions is being spread," he said.

Shah said curfew has been lifted in all 196 police stations in Kashmir, and only in eight police stations areas Section 144 of CrPC was imposed where five or more persons cannot gather.

"People are free to move around anywhere in Kashmir. Many journalists from rest of India are also visiting Kashmir regularly," he said
The home minister said because of Article 370, "peoplealways had to say 'Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India'. We don't have to say so when we talk about Karnataka, West Bengal, Gujarat or Delhi."