Houston: Defending revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday said that India bid farewell to Article 370, which allowed terrorism and separatism to rear its head in the state. He also asked people to give standing ovation to Indian parliamentarians for Parliament's nod to repeal the Article's provisions.
Addressing over 50,000 Indian-Americans at the 'Howdy, Modi' event here, PM Modi said that time for a decisive battle against terrorism has come.
US President Donald Trump, who also addressed the Indian diaspora, vowed to protect innocent civilians from the threat of radical Islamic terrorism and said border security is vital to both America and India as he emphasised on bolstering further the Indo-US security relationship.
"India and US also understand that to keep our community safe, we must protect our borders. Border security is vital to the United States. Border Security is vital to India. And we understand that," Trump said as Prime Minister Modi was seen clapping.
Earlier on Sunday, US Senator and Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders too spoke on the Kashmir issue.
"When President (Donald) Trump meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston, we will hear much about the friendship between the American and Indian peoples," the 77-year-old leader said in an opinion piece in Houston Chronicle. "However, there will be a deafening silence when it comes to a human rights crisis unfolding right before our eyes - and that is unacceptable," he added.
Addressing the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America in Houston on Saturday, Sanders said that he was "deeply concerned" about the situation in Kashmir and asked the US government to "speak out boldly" in support of a UN-backed peaceful resolution to resolve the issue.
Restrictions were first imposed across Kashmir on August 5 when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcate the state into two Union territories. The restrictions were lifted in phases from many parts of the valley as the situation improved with the passage of time.
Most of the top-level and second rung mainstream politicians, including three former chief ministers — Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, continue to be in detention or under house arrest.
While NC president Farooq Abdullah was first placed under house arrest, he was on Tuesday booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA). His son Omar and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti were detained on the night of August 4 — hours before the Centre announced its decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution and to bifurcate the state into two Union territories.
Most of the mainstream leaders, including former ministers and legislators, were also either detained or kept under house arrest, the officials said.
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