Statehood of J&K to be restored at appropriate time, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday promised restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir at "an appropriate time" and a "good resolution" of demands raised by people of the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Speaking at a media conclave in Patna, he also claimed that after the abrogation of Article 370, terror-infested Jammu and Kashmir has "taken a U-turn" and "no local terrorist has been recruited in the last nine months".

"This is a qualitative change that Jammu and Kashmir, where separatism had been festering since the 1990s, witnessed. Earlier, Pakistan felt no need to send terrorists from across the border. They used to place arms in the hands of our children. Now the situation has changed. The people of Jammu and Kashmir feel they belong to the entire country and the entire country belongs to them," Shah said at the conclave organised by ABP News and Hindustan.

"Today, democracy has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir. Panchayat and municipal polls have taken place, and so have elections for the legislative assembly. Rajya Sabha elections will also take place at some time," the home minister added.

He was asked about a statement by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who spoke of a "gulf" remaining in between Jammu and Kashmir and New Delhi on account of statehood not being restored even after a year of his swearing in.

Shah replied, "He (Abdullah) may be saying this out of political compulsions. But statehood would be restored at an appropriate time. And it will be done following discussions with him."  About the recent agitations in Ladakh, Shah said the Union government is "in talks with the committees of Leh and Kargil".

"We urge the people to have patience. There will be a good resolution of all their just demands," he said.

The allusion may have been to the combined leadership of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, which represent Ladakh's political and civil society groups.

The union home minister was also asked about the possibility of the release of Sonam Wangchuk, educator-turned-activist, who is in jail after being accused of inciting protests that led to the torching of the BJP office in Leh and vandalisation of some other public buildings.

Shah replied, "I can speak of the demands of the people. Not about any individual. As far as his (Wangchuk's) case is concerned, the matter is before the court, which will take a decision on the basis of evidence at hand".

The home minister also said the government was carrying out "a ruthless campaign" against Maoist insurgency, accusing the ultr-Left ideology of "the sin of forcing tribal areas to remain undeveloped".

"In the 11 years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in power, we have demolished at least 600 Maoist camps, dried up their finances and blocked their access to weapons. I would like to declare that Maoism will be completely wiped out by December 31, 2026", asserted Shah.