Abrogation of Article 370 more political than to curb militancy: Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Monday criticised the Centre over the abrogation of Article 370, suggesting it was a political move rather than a genuine attempt to tackle militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. His remarks came during a special session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly held to discuss the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.

Mir expressed disappointment that despite seven years having passed since Article 370 was scrapped, militancy still continues in the region.
Speaking during the session, he said, "How many times should we pass this resolution, these condolences To prevail in peace in Jammu and Kashmir and to end militancy, the central government has taken a lot of steps. The decision taken on 5th August 2019 was also taken for this purpose. The country was told that to end the militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and to reorganise and downgrade, Article 370 had to be removed. Now, even after seven years, the steps that were taken were not in response to eliminate the militancy but were more for politics. This should not happen."
The session began with J&K deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary moving a resolution to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack. He also supported the diplomatic actions announced by the Union Government following the Cabinet Committee on Security’s meeting.
Before the session started, Mir highlighted the rising violence and said the Pahalgam incident had deeply shocked the nation. He stated, "The intensity of the situation and the incident has shocked everyone. This is not just about one community. No step will be enough right now... These incidents have become very frequent, and now the nation wants concrete steps against this... There is no point in talks right now."
The Pahalgam attack is considered one of the worst in the Kashmir Valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack, where 40 CRPF jawans lost their lives. In response, India has adopted tough measures against Pakistan for its continued support of cross-border terrorism.