[OneIndia] On his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir
.jpg "Kashmir") ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir . The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday defended the Centre's decision saying that it has led to a decline in terrorist incidents and ended stone-pelting.
The Centre revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and divided it into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh -- on August 5, 2019.
On the curfew imposed in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370, Shah said it was like a "bitter pill" that helped save many lives. Shah said that only the youth of J&K can take it forward on the path of peace and development. No change is possible without the involvement of the youth.
"From 2004-14, 2,081 people were killed -- 208 every year (on average). From 2014 till now, 30 people have been killed on an average per year. Terrorism has decreased. Stone-pelting is invisible and I want to assure you that we will deal sternly with those who want to disrupt peace in J&K. It is our commitment that no one will be able to stop the journey of development," Shah said.
The youth of J&K have to support it. This opportunity that you have, the development that you see... Today, 45,000 youths are saying that they have got an opportunity," he added. Shah said the curfew imposed in the wake of revocation of Article 370 was a "small hardship" for a long-term benefit. Had the curfew not been imposed, many parents would have attended the funeral of their sons.
"Who was saved because of the curfew or internet blockade? The youth of Kashmir. Today, the situation is under control and internet is on and there is no curfew," he said. Shah noted that the first condition for development is peace.
"About 40,000 people, including civilians and security forces, have bit the dust. Do we have to stop this or not? Are terrorism and development possible together? Can it happen? No, it can never happen," he said.
About 70 per cent of the population in Kashmir is below the age of 35.
Shah said during his interaction with members of youth clubs, he recalled that about two-and-a-half years back, news about incidents of stone-pelting, terrorism and violence, used to come from Kashmir. "...but now, in the same Kashmir, youths are talking about development, skill upgradation, employment and scholarships for their education. 
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