Regaining the glory of Kashmir!
Addressing the Nation, two days after the Parliament voted to revoke the special status to Jammu & Kashmir and to create the two Union territories (UT), the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday fuelled the enthusiasm among Kashmiri youths and said the ‘liberation from the Article 370 was a reality and such bold action was necessary in interest of the Nation as well as the region. PM assured the youths and people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh that their region is now set to witness the dawn of new era of development and peace. Lambasting dynastic politics and Pakistan, the PM said the neighbour used the Article 370 as a tool to spread terrorism in the region and the country had lost lives of over 42000 innocent people in the past three decades. The best part of the speech was that the Prime Minister made it clear that Jammu & Kashmir would regain its statehood soon and there will be free and fair election for the state assembly soon. Prime Minister also promised the benefits of various Union government’s schemes to 1.5 crore people of the state, including govt employees. No doubt, the PM’s speech and promises made by him for various welfare schemes will boost the confidence of youths. Till now, the Kashmiri people had been missing the benefit of scheme like --- 1. Right to Education, 2. Women’s right to inheritance (does not apply to women of J&K who marry someone who is not a permanent residence of the state), 3. SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 4 Law for protection of rights of minorities, 5. Minimum Wage Act, 6. Reservation of seats for SCs/STs in state assembly, and 7. Voting rights to refugees from West Pakistan who could exercise his/her vote in Lok Sabha election, but not in those for state assembly and civic body. In his address, the Prime Minister also requested the industrialists and Bollywood producers to think about more investment in the Kashmir so that greater job opportunities can be created for the local youths. The bold steps taken by the Union government is much appreciated. Now outsiders can buy property, live and work in Kashmir; this can bring in greater investment. But there are many challenges ahead. First of all, bringing normalcy in the region and winning the trust of local protesters would be the biggest task for the New Delhi. On Friday (the first Jumma after the announcement of reorganization of Jammu & Kashmir was made), over 18000 people offered ‘namaz’ in Srinagar. It is good that people in large number came out from their houses and offered prayers peacefully. Similar response was received from Anantnag, Budgam, Shopian and Kulgam. We hope that the life on this Earth’s paradise will be back to normal soon. We all know that the Kashmir is famous for its tourism and natural beauty and hope the state will regain its glory as ‘world’s best tourist place’ soon. That’s the Kashmir dream!
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