Eid-al-Adha festivities in Jammu and Kashmir

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said that the manner in which the BJP-led central government had moved to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir was “completely unconstitutional” and “against all the principles of democracy”. There are rules to be followed when such things are done, which were not followed, she said, taking the Congress party’s stand.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today, while hearing a petition filed by political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla, said it was all for restoration of normalcy in the state. The government said that conditions would relax and it depended on the situation on the ground , “It is in our best interest to lift the restrictions on after another,” the Centre said.

On the other hand, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the country should be aware that support from the United Nations against India’s decision to repeal Article 370 won’t be forthcoming. Furthermore he said, “Pakistanis should not live in a fool’s paradise. The United Nations won’t wait with garlands to accept our objections. The support of the Muslim community, which has investments, may also not be readily available.”

After the Modi government scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan had approached the United Nations Security Council. However, Poland, which holds the UNSC presidency at present, has made it clear that Delhi and Islamabad should find a solution to the issue “bilaterally”.

Eid-al-Adha festivities passed off peacefully in Jammu and Kashmir and they were no firing in the valley on Monday, state police have said. The governor of the state, Satya Pal Malik said that Eid prayers were offered in all mosques in the Valley peacefully. He said “Security restrictions in the valley were eased during the weekend and people did shopping in normal conditions.”

According to some reports, former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were allowed to offer Eid prayers but no more details were available. Several political leaders offered prayers at the Central hotel on the banks of the Dal Lake. The government had provided them with an imam at the hotel where they have been kept since detention.

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