Section 144 to be lifted in Kashmir within week: MoS Home G Kishan Reddy

HYDERABAD: Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy on Saturday assured that Section 144 will be lifted soon in Jammu and Kashmir where it was in place after the abrogation of Article 370.

"There was peace in Jammu and Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A. Section 144 will be lifted within a week to ten days and that there will be normalcy in the Valley soon. For the past 70 years, Indians were like aliens in their own country and now the abrogation of Article 370 has led to an extension of the Indian Constitution in totality to Jammu and Kashmir. At many places, Section 144 has been relaxed in Jammu and Kashmir," Reddy said at National Seminar on Cyber Security at Institute of Engineers here. "Pakistan was trying to mislead people by giving false reports. Similarly, some political parties in the country also misled people for their own vested interests," he said.

"Communication was also being restored in some places and will be done soon in many places. There are no signs of havoc in Jammu and Kashmir. We are just taking precautions, if provoked then things will be settled as soon as possible. After the abrogation of Article 370, we can see that people are much happier than before."

The minister said that Jammu and Kashmir will have developed in the industrial sector and the culture of the state will be recognized.

Parliament recently withdrew special status to the Jammu and Kashmir and also passed Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganization) Act 2019, reorganizing the state in two Union Territories--Jammu and Kashmir with Assembly and Ladakh without it.