Gandhi Peace Foundation slams Modi govt for revoking IHK special status

NEW DELHI: The Gandhi Peace Foundation slammed the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for revoking the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK)'s special status and bifurcating it into union territories, and accused it of using force to "silence" the people of the Valley, international media reported.

In a statement, the foundation said one state has "disappeared" due to this "undemocratic" decision. It said the government has asserted that the voiding of Article 370 will lead to curbing of terrorism and usher in development.

Article 370 has ended up fuelling separatism, terrorism and corruption in Jammu and Kashmir, it has said. Responding to the ruling BJP's assertion that a handful of people, including three families, were behind the corruption and other troubles in the region, the foundation said the government should have acted against them if this was true but the entire Valley has been turned into a "jail", it alleged.