Jammu and Kashmir Article 370 LIVE: Sec 144 withdrawn from Jammu, schools to open tomorrow

The Indian Navy has put all its warships and key assets on high alert for quick operational deployment in the wake of the government's decision to revoke special status to Jammu and Kashmir and split the state into two Union Territories, official sources said on Friday. All naval stations have also been put on high alert to effectively deal with any possible security challenges, they said. The Army and the Indian Air Force were also put on high alert following the government's far reaching decision on Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. (PTI)

As President Ram Nath Kovind signs the J&K Reorganisation Bill, 2019, two new Union territories-- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh -- will come into existence on October 31. 

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik at the Raj Bhavan here on Friday, an official spokesperson said. The NSA, who has been camping here since Tuesday to take stock of the ground situation in the state, discussed the prevailing scenario with the governor, he said. (PTI)

Section 144 to be withdrawn from Jammu, schools to open tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/k3cTGZuJ58

— Prasar Bharati News Services (@PBNS_India) August 9, 2019

In Jammu, the situation is normal. In Kashmir, the situation is under control. All steps necessary to maintain law and order will be taken, says Police, Law and Order, Muneer Khan in Kathua.

"There is a feeling that Pakistan is nervous over India's initiative in Jammu and Kashmir," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. "Pakistan thinks it will not be able to mislead people if there is development in Jammu and Kashmir," he said. On consular access to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav, he said: "We are in touch with Pakistan."

CPIM Politburo condemns the detention of General Secretary  SitaramYechury & D Raja, CPI General Secretary at Srinagar airport. This shows the authoritarian face of the Govt. Politburo calls upon the people to protest this anti-democratic act of the Government.

Weekly Media Briefing by Official Spokesperson (August 09, 2019) https://t.co/HGvbrm6zBY

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 9, 2019

The Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan has not yet reached New Delhi, the MEA said that timing of his return is yet to be discussed. India has asked for a review from Pakistan. 

Pakistani airspace is not closed, only re-routing has been done, airspace is operational. It is time for Pakistan to accept the reality and stop interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

We have reached to several countries and explained our position. Senior officials of Government of India reached out to ambassadors and envoys and contacts have been made at MEA level as well. We did reach out to all countries including the United States. 

Steps taken under Article 370 is our internal matter pertains to constitutional jurisdiction of the country. We will see what Pakistan does going forward and speak at that time. on Samjhauta Express: It is a unilateral decision we never asked for it and we regret this decision by Pakistan which is intended to feed the narrative that the relation between India and Pakistan have reached an alarming state. 

MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar in a media briefing said that India has apprised several nations on the decisions surrounding Jammu and Kashmir and expressed it clearly that it is an internal matter of India. 

The Shiv Sena on Friday said Kashmir was now a closed chapter for Pakistan and asserted that Islamabad downgrading diplomatic ties with India post removal of special status for the border state will hurt it more than New Delhi. Early this week, the Centre revoked special status to Jammu and Kashmir accorded under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Pakistan on Wednesday expelled Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria as part of its decision to downgrade the diplomatic ties with India over what it called New Delhi's "unilateral and illegal" move on J&K. (PTI)

The Centre on Friday started registration for the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan-Dhan Yojana (PM-KMY), a pension scheme for farmers announced in the Union Budget. The scheme will be implemented across the country, including Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. "Today, the PM-KMY registration process has commenced across the country. Till noon, 418 farmers have registered and I request more farmers to join the scheme," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said. (PTI)

After Pakistan banned the screening of Indian films, All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) wrote to PM Modi demanding a ban on Pakistani artists, diplomats & bilateral relations with Pakistan and its people. "Entire film industry and cine workers have refused to resume work, till there is a complete ban of Pakistani movie makers, artists, and trade partner." 

Restrictions were eased to allow people in Kashmir to offer Friday prayers in local mosques, officials said on Friday as security forces were put on high alert across the Valley in an apparent move to prevent possible protests. The decision to ease the restrictions was taken after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval directed authorities to ensure that no Kashmiris were harassed, they said. Security forces have been put on high alert across the Kashmir Valley preempting possible protests against the scraping of special status. (PTI)

The CPI(M) on Friday hit out at the government for detaining its general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI leader D Raja at Srinagar airport, saying it was an "anti-democratic" act, which showed the ruling BJP's "authoritarian face". The Left leaders had gone to Srinagar to meet CPI(M) MLA Md Tarigami and other party colleagues. "The politburo calls upon the people to protest this anti-democratic act of the BJP government," the statement said. (PTI)

Veteran Congress leader Karan Singh — son of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last ruler of Jammu and Kashmir who signed the Instrument of Accession in 1947 — took a divergent view from that of his party on Thursday. He said he did not agree with a “blanket condemnation” of the government’s decision on J&K, and said it has “several positive points”. Singh, however, did not comment on the revocation of J&K’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. Read more here

Industry body CII on Friday assured Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the industry body will support investment activities in Jammu and Kashmir.  "We would like to see investment across sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. CII has stated to the government and the finance minister that CII would support initiative for investment in the UT," said Uday Kotak, CII President-designate and MD and CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank. (PTI)

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has directed Deputy Commissioners in the Kashmir Valley to reach out to the people to take stock of their requirements relating to ration, medicines and other daily needs and address them swiftly, officials said Friday.  Malik, who is taking daily updates from his administration about the prevailing scenario in Jammu and Kashmir after the Centre revoked the state's special status and divided it into two union territories, reviewed the security situation Thursday night, officials said. (PTI)

Restrictions were eased to allow people in Kashmir to offer Friday prayers in local mosques, officials said on Friday as security forces were put on high alert across the Valley in an apparent move to prevent possible protests. The decision to ease the restrictions was taken after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval directed authorities to ensure that no Kashmiris were harassed. The decision was taken as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order, a day after restrictions in some parts of the civil lines areas of the city and Dal Lake were relaxed to allow free movement of people. (PTI)

.@SitaramYechury has being detained at Srinagar Airport and not allowed to move anywhere. This despite the fact that he had informed the administration about his visit to meet CPIM MLA MY Tarigami who is not well & other party workers.
We strongly protest this illegal detention.

— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) August 9, 2019

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday said that he and his CPI colleague D Raja were detained at the Srinagar airport on Friday and denied entry into the city. The Left leaders had gone to the Srinagar to meet their party colleagues. "They showed us a legal order which did not allow any entry into Srinagar. It stated that even escorted movement int the city was not permitted due to security reasons. We are still trying to negotiate with them," Yechury told news agency PTI. Yechury and CPI general secretary Raja had written to Satya Pal Malik on Thursday informing him of their visit and requesting him to facilitate their entry. (PTI)

Pakistan’s decision to suspend bilateral trade with India may hit its textiles and pharmaceuticals industries, which rely on imports of raw materials worth over $450 million each from India. By comparison, India imports products valued at less than a fourth of its total exports to Pakistan, and is not expected to face a negative impact from the move, which was announced in response to the government’s decision earlier this week to end special status for Jammu & Kashmir. Read more here

The United States on Friday said that there is no change in its policy on Kashmir and called on India and Pakistan to maintain calm and restraint. “No”, replied State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus when asked by reporters if there has been any change in America’s policy on Kashmir. The US policy has been that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and it is up to the two countries to decide on the pace and scope of the talks on the issue. Read more here

Restrictions will be eased to allow people in Kashmir to offer Friday prayers in local mosques, officials said on Friday as security forces were put on high alert across the Valley in an apparent move to prevent possible protests. The decision on easing of restrictions comes after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval directed authorities to ensure that no Kashmiris were harassed, they said. (PTI)

In his address to the nation two days after Parliament ratified his government’s decision to end the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and split the state into two Union Territories, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to explain the reasons for the move, and to allay the misgivings of a section of the population. In his speech, delivered in Hindi, the Prime Minister used the words Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh 65 times and 28 times respectively, and referred to desh (nation) 22 times. There were 18 mentions of sarkar (government), 10 mentions of log (people), and eight of vishwas (faith). Article 370 was mentioned on seven occasions. Read more here

Several people were reportedly detained after they protested in the main market area of Kargil on Thursday, defying restrictions imposed under Section 144 of CrPC and protesting the Centre’s decision to scrap J&K’s special status and split it into two Union Territories. The protesters, demanding restoration of Article 370, later clashed with police and ITBP personnel. Some protesters reportedly threw stones at the security forces, following which there was lathicharge and use of tear-gas. Read more here

Around 117 passengers coming to India from Pakistan aboard the Samjhauta Express were briefly stuck at the Wagah border Thursday, when Pakistani railway officials conveyed to their Indian counterparts that the train would not enter the country. An engine was then sent to bring the train back to Attari. Pakistan announced that the train service had been suspended as part of downgrading of diplomatic ties with India in response to the scrapping of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu & Kashmir. (PTI)

There were no references to Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s “Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat, Kashmiriyat,” a phrase whose spirit Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself invoked in 2017 and 2018. But on Thursday, in his address to the nation after the passage of the Bill to split Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, Modi used the commonplace — daily life and work — to make his larger point. Referring to hope, aspiration and opportunity, he told the people of J&K that withdrawing the state’s special status was not about claiming territory but an instrument for their development and prosperity. Read more here

Article 370 has gone. So has Article 35A. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has ceased to exist. It has been downgraded and split into two union territories, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. The first without a legislature and the second with a legislature; like the city states of Delhi and Puducherry. The decision of the government has been received with wild rejoicing in the the rest of the country while Jammu and Kashmir remains completely shut down and under the heel of the boots of the security forces. Read more here

Five days into the lockdown in the Valley in the wake of revoking J&K’s special status and its downgrade into a Union Territory, top officials have said the situation should ease in a few days to allow the easing of restrictions. K Vijay Kumar, Advisor to Jammu and Kashmir Governor and former CRPF chief, said that there will be “some relaxation” for Friday prayers and a call on security for Eid will be taken on Sunday. Read excerpts of his interview here

Expressing “concern”, Saudi Arabia on Thursday called for a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir issue, in accordance with the relevant international resolutions. Malaysia also underlined the need to respect the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions related to J&K. In their measured response, these two countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) did not take sides. Earlier, two other OIC countries — UAE and Maldives — backed India, saying that its decision on J&K was an “internal issue”. Read more here

Welcome to the Indian Express LIVE blog. Follow this space to track the latest developments on Article 370.