Not a single bullet fired since deployment of security post scrapping Art 370, says ex J-K minister after meeting foreign envoys

Former tourism minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Hassan Mir on Thursday said that "not a single bullet" had been fired in the Valley since security forces were deployed in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the Narendra Modi government's decision to nullify Article 370 that granted special status to the region.

"Whatever happened was not wanted either by the government or the people. But one thing from the side of the government is that not a single bullet was shot; there was no killing. Credit also goes to the people as well because they did not opt for violence," Mir said after meeting a delegation of foreign envoys who visited Jammu and Kashmir today

The 15-member delegation was here to see first-hand efforts made by the Indian government to "normalise situation" after the Centre revoked the special status of the region in August last year.

"The Indian government has said that Article 370 was a barrier in the development of Jammu and Kashmir. Now it is upto the Central government to prove that. People here live in fear because they feel they will lose their jobs. The Government of India has to show the concern towards them and uplift them," he added.

The former minister said that the foreign envoys, who met security officials and other civil society members from all walks of life, held an interactive session and enquired about the situation in the region before and after Article 370 was scrapped.

Apart from Mir, the delegation also met other political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir including Altaf Bukhari, Shoaib Iqbal Lone, Hilal Ahmed Shah, Noor Mohd Sheikh, Abdul Majid Padder, Abdul Rahim Rather and Rafi Ahmed Mir.

Ahead of announcing the decision to abolish Article 370 from the Union Territory, the central government had deployed additional military troops in order to curtail any possibility of untoward incident.

The government had also temporarily suspended mobile internet in Jammu in view of the security situation in the region which later resumed.

The group of 15 foreign envoys from the United States, South Korea, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Maldives, Morocco, Fiji, Norway, Philippines, Argentina, Peru, Niger, Nigeria, Togo and Guyana, are on a two-day visit to the region being facilitated by the Government of India.

"The visit was orgsed based on request which we have received in the past from several envoys who wanted to visit J&K," MEA spokesperson said in a weekly briefing today.

This is the first visit by diplomats to Jammu and Kashmir since the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir last year that split the state into two union territories.

Last year a delegation comprising members of the European Parliament had visited the Valley after the abrogation of Article 370.

( With inputs from ANI )