Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti placed under house arrest; Section 144 imposed in Srinagar
The HinduAn uneasy calm enveloped the Kashmir Valley on Sunday as additional security forces occupied civilian installations and police stations and were put in “standby mode.” Late in the night, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti were placed under house arrest. — Omar Abdullah August 4, 2019 Ms. Mufti said, “In such difficult times, I’d like to assure our people that come what may, we are in this together and will fight it out. Nothing should break our resolve to strive for what’s rightfully ours.” Mr. Omar Abdullah and Ms. Mufti earlier in the day had warned the Centre against abrogation of Article 35A and Article 370, which gives special status to J&K. Earlier in the day National Conference president Dr. Farooq Abdullah chaired an all-party meeting in Srinagar and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi “not to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.” Dr. Abdullah said all parties resolved to be united in “protecting the identity, autonomy and special rights of J&K.” “Modification or abrogation of Article 35A or Article 370 would be aggression against the people of J&K,” read the joint statement called the ‘Gupkar Declaration.’ Meanwhile the security build-up took a final shape on Sunday, a top police official said on the condition of anonymity.