New Delhi: Taking a belligerent stand, home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of talks with the Hurriyat Conference, and told the Lok Sabha that India will continue to claim the territories of Jammu and Kashmir under the occupation of Pakistan, commonly referred to as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Replying to a debate on the resolution for abrogating some provisions of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorgani-sation Bill 2019, Mr Shah also said the government would have no hesitation in restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir when normality returns. “India will continue to claim Pakistan-occupied Kash-mir... We are ready to give our lives for it,” he said.
“Kashmir is an integral part of India, there is no doubt about it. When I say Jammu and Kashmir, I include Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin, both are included in the territorial boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir,” he emphasised.
The Parliament later approved a resolution abrogating the special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and a bill for splitting the state into two Union territories.
The resolution was passed by the Lok Sabha with 351 members voting in favour and 72 against it, with one member abstaining.
The bill to create two UTs — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — was passed in the Lower House by 370 votes in favour and 70 against.
Mr Shah said Article 370 was creating doubts over Jammu and Kashmir’s relations with India.
The home minister said the government would not talk to Hurriyat Conference, but was ready to speak to the people of Kashmir.
The resolution and the bill had been earlier approved by the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
The government had Monday revoked some provisions of Article 370 to take away Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, and proposed bifurcation of the state into Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, a bold and far-reaching decision that seeks to redraw the map and future of a region at the centre of protracted militancy.
