Jaishankar said that Article 370 was a temporary provision in the Indian Constitution but the majority of Western media failed to acknowledge this fact
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that Kashmir's autonomy had only served a small elite, thereby backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's much-debated move to abrogate Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which had earlier accorded a 'special status' to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The statement by EAM Jaishankar was a part of his interview to a German weekly news magazine, Der Spiegel. In the interview, the Union Minister said that the government's decision to snap telephone and internet network in the Kashmir valley following the abrogation was only logical because terrorists would have used those communication channels to plot attacks and unleash further chaos.
EAM Jaishankar seemed hopeful about situations in the valley improving since, according to him, it was Article 370 that had prevented many of India's progressive laws and investment opportunities coming into force in the region. "Investments did not materialize. There were too few jobs. The lack of progress led to alienation and separatism, which in turn fed terrorism. Also, bear in mind that there are vested interests out there that want to fight us," he said.
Jaishankar said that Article 370 was a temporary provision in the Indian Constitution but the majority of Western media failed to acknowledge this fact and this was only because they were unwilling to accept the truth.
He also defended the house arrest of Jammu and Kashmir politicians that followed shortly after the abrogation of the constitutional clause. Several political leaders that former J&K Chief Minister Mehmooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were placed under direct house arrest. EAM Jaishankar said that the government did not want those local politicians to engage in any activities that could spark unrest in the already volatile region. The centre was preventing further loss of lives, he said.
Finally, Jaishankar even took the opportunity to launch assaults at the neighbouring country of Pakistan. Taking digs at its Prime Minister, the EAM said that Pak PM Imran Khan deserves credit for acknowledging the fact that Pakistan has been a known safe haven for terrorists since decades. That Islamabad runs a terrorist industry is well known in the global community, he said.
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 "External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar")
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