Former chief minister of the Indian state of Karnataka and Congress leader Sidddaramiah challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to host an event for US President Donald Trump in Kashmir if the disputed region has returned to "normalacy" as claimed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“If BJP feels Kashmir has returned to normalcy, and if BJP feels that there is no government orchestrated violence ... Now is the time to prove the same by hosting Donald Trump’s event in Kashmir,” tweeted the Congress leader.
US President Trump arrived in India earlier on Monday for his maiden visit to the country. The president was accompanied by his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and the top brass of his administration, reported Indian Express.
Modi’s government has constantly maintained that the situation in occupied Kashmir was normal after it revoked the special status of the valley, the move heavily criticised by the country's opposition. India has also taken foreign envoys to Kashmir to show that the region was normal, but those efforts have been in vain.
The Indian government unilaterally revoked the decades-old special status of the Muslim majority Himalayan region on August 5 by repealing Article 370. India had sent tens of thousands of additional troops to the disputed territory, imposed curfews on its residents, and severed communications, including access to the internet and telephones.
According to media reports, at least 4,000 people have subsequently been held in occupied Kashmir under the Public Safety Act — a controversial law that allows authorities to imprison someone for up to two years without charge or trial — including local politicians, activists, academics and students.