Shah Chairs High-Level Meet On Eve Of Article 370 Abrogation Anniversary
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Union home secretary Govind Mohan, and director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka met the home minister in his chamber at the Parliament House complex: Sources
NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday chaired a high-level meeting with top security officials to review the security situation in the country, on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.
According to sources, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Union home secretary Govind Mohan, and director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka met the home minister in his chamber at the Parliament House complex.
While the specific details of the meeting were not disclosed, sources indicated that the discussions focused on the prevailing national security situation.
The anniversary comes amid increasing speculation over the possible restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier assured that statehood would be restored once normalcy returns to the Union Territory, though no timeline has been provided.
In July, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah renewed his demand for the immediate restoration of statehood. He indicated that the ruling National Conference was exploring all avenues, including legal options, to achieve this goal. Nearly ten months after the party swept to power in the Union Territory, Abdullah asserted that statehood was a fundamental right of the people and reminded that the Centre had made this commitment in both Parliament and the Supreme Court.
It was on August 5, 2019, that the Modi government abrogated Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the former state into two Union Territories—Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi recently wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Modi, urging the BJP-led government to introduce legislation during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
On Monday, CPI leader D. Raja also echoed this demand in a separate letter addressed to the Prime Minister.