Restrictions exist only in ‘certain minds’: Amit Shah slams Opposition on Kashmir

New Delhi, Sep 29: Home Minister Amit Shah said that there was no blockade in Jammu and Kashmir and restrictions existed only in "certain minds."

"Where are the restrictions? It is only in your mind. There are no restrictions. Only misinformation about restrictions is being spread," Amit Shah said while addressing a function organised by Samkalp Former Civil Servants Forum at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in Delhi.

Referring to the Centre's August 5 decision to scrap special status to J&K under Article 370, Amit Shah said because of the "bold" step taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state would be the most developed region in the coming 5-7 years.

"But people are trying to create a hue and cry over lack of mobile connections for a few days. Lack of phone connection is not a human rights violation," Shah said, adding that as many as 10,000 new landline connections were set up in J&K in the last two months.

Asserting that "all world leaders" who gathered at the recently concluded United Nations General Assembly in New York backed India's move on Article 370, Amit Shah said it was a big diplomatic victory of PM Modi.

"All world leaders had gathered for seven days (in New York). Not a single leader took the side of Pakistan. They all supported India," Shah said.

However, China had raised the Kashmir issue at the UN and said that the "dispute" should be peacefully and properly addressed in accordance with the UNSC resolutions and bilateral agreements. To this, India took a strong note and said that the recent developments in the region were "entirely a matter internal" to the country.

Referring to China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remark at UNGA, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that India expected other countries to respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We expect that other countries will respect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and desist from efforts to change the status quo through the illegal so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," Kumar was quoted as saying by PTI earlier.

OneIndia News (with PTI inputs)