![Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah arrested after Centre ends J&K's special status Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah arrested after Centre ends J&K's special status](https://www.indiablooms.com/news_pic/2019/AA-1565016871.jpg)
Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah arrested after Centre ends J&K's special status
Srinagar, Aug 5 (IBNS): Hours after Article 370 has been scrapped by the Centre, Jammu and Kashmir's former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, who were placed under house arrest on late Sunday evening, have been formally arrested, media reports said.
Mufti, who served as the CM of that state in ally with the BJP, ended her tie with the ruling party in June last year.
She has been vocal about the events in the state since the troop build-up started last week.
Mufti on Monday tweeted: "Today marks the darkest day in Indian democracy. Decision of J&K leadership to reject 2 nation theory in 1947 & align with India has backfired. Unilateral decision of GOI to scrap Article 370 is illegal & unconstitutional which will make India an occupational force in J&K."
"It will have catastrophic consequences for the subcontinent. GOIs intentions are clear. They want the territory of J&K by terrorising its people. India has failed Kashmir in keeping its promises."
She added, "People like us who placed faith in Parliament, the temple of democracy have been deceived. Those elements in J&K who rejected the constitution & sought resolution under the UN have been vindicated. This will exacerbate the alienation Kashmiris feel."
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah called it unilateral and shocking.
Indian government takes major decision on Kashmir:
The politically-volatile and terrorism wracked Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, a bone of contention and military disputes for over seven decades between two nuclear armed neighbours of India and Pakistan, will not enjoy any special status anymore, as the ruling BJP-led government scrapped Article 370, in a move to integrate the Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country and bifurcate the state into two.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament that the government would scrap Article 370, the constitutional provision that allowed Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws while massive troops deployment continued in the region where the local political leaders were put under house arrest since midnight.
Article 370 allows Jammu and Kashmir to have its own constitution, flag and right to handle its own laws except on matters that impact national security.
Also the BJP government on Monday announced to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories- Jammu and Kashmir with an assembly and Ladakh without an assembly. Thus Jammu and Kashmir loses its statehood.
The Modi government also scrapped Article 35A, which so far allowed the Jammu and Kashmir state's legislature to define “permanent residents” of the state and also provided special rights and privileges to those permanent residents, through the presidential order.
The Home Minister said the decisions have been taken in view of fulfilling the aspirations of people of Ladakh and the internal security in Jammu and Kashmir.
While Kashmir leaders like Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti called the moves unilateral, unconstitutional and termed the day as darkest in Indian democracy, a larger number of otherwise anti-BJP political parties of India from Opposition- BJD, BSP, YSR and TRS- welcomed the move of scrapping Article 370.
In his statement, Shah said, "There has been a long pending demand of people of Ladakh, to give it a status of a Union Territory to enable them to realise their aspirations. The Union Territory of Ladakh will be without Legislature. Further, keeping in view the prevailing internal security situation, fuelled by cross border terrorism in the existing State of Jammu and Kashmir, a separate Union Territory for Jammu and Kashmir is being created. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be with legislature."
Both the bills have received the ascent of President Ram Nath Kovind.
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