Dubai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir was done in a completely democratic and transparent way and the new move will end the isolation that had kept the region underdeveloped.

In an interview to the 'Khaleej Times', Modi described terrorism and extremism as threats to humankind and said it is everyone's responsibility to oppose them with all force.

Modi arrived in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Friday on the second leg of his three-nation visit. On Saturday, he was honoured with the 'Order of Zayed', the UAE's highest civilian award, as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations. The award has earlier been bestowed on several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Queen Elizabeth II and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“As far as Article 370 is concerned, our internal steps were taken in a completely democratic, open, transparent and constitutional manner. They were designed to end the isolation that had kept Jammu-Kashmir underdeveloped to serve the vested interests of a few,” Modi said in the interview.

Modi, who claimed that J&K had been isolated so long to serve vested interests, said it had led to some of the youth being misguided and take to violence and terrorism. “We cannot afford to let these tendencies get any foothold in our harmonious society and distract us from the primary tasks of growth and development of the entire country,” he said.