Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has made this statement that “No Political leader has been under house arrest in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Centre stated it in Lok Sabha as a reply to the query raised by Members of Parliament Asaddudin Owaisi and Syed Imtiaz Jaleel.
The question raised by the MPs was in relation to the changes that took place and were observed, post the removal of Article 370 in this one year. The Ministry stated that “all the rights embodied in the Constitution of India and benefits of all the central laws that were available and exercised by the general public could be enjoyed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
MoS G Kishan Reddy stated, “After the constitutional changes and reorganization of the former Jammu-Kashmir, the Union territories of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh have been completely integrated to the whole of the nation. As a result, all the rights enshrined in the Constitution of India and the benefits of Central laws that were being enjoyed by the common citizens of the country are now available to the people of Jammu-Kashmir. This change has led to socio-economic development in both newly formed Union Territory- UT of Jammu-Kashmir and UT of Ladakh. One can witness empowerment of people, elimination of unjust laws, the emergence of equity and fairness to those discriminated are some of the few changes that are accompanied in both the union territories and leading them towards the path of peace and progress.”
The Ministry also talked about the funds that were being allocated to the Union Territories for the upcoming year 2020-21 which sums up to around Rs 30,757 crore. All the flagship schemes of the Government of India, including various center sponsored schemes and the individual beneficiary centric scheme, are also being executed actively in the newly formed union territories.
The Ministry further averred that many politicians such as Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah, MY Tarigami, Mian Abdul Qayoom, Saifuddin Soz, Sajjad Lone, and others were reportedly detained and /or placed under house arrest as per the provisions of J&K Public Safety Act, 1978. But in July, the Supreme Court had disposed of octogenarian Congress leader and former Union Minister Prof. Saifuddin Soz’s habeas corpus plea raised against the government of Jammu and Kashmir detention order, relying on the J&K Home Department’s Affidavit which claims that Prof. Soz had never been placed under confinement in the first place.
