Prime Minister Modi tweets, new dawn awaits Kashmir

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described the passage of legislations on Jammu and Kashmir as a “momentous occasion” in a parliamentary democracy.

In a series of tweets, Modi said: “I salute my sisters and brothers of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh for their courage and resilience. For years, vested interest groups who believed in emotional blackmail never cared for people’s empowerment. J&K is now free from their shackles. A new dawn, better tomorrow awaits!”

He also said that these steps will bring the youth into the mainstream and give them innumerable opportunities to showcase their skills and talents.

"Special congratulations to the people of Ladakh! It is a matter of great joy that their long-standing demand of being declared a Union Territory has been fulfilled. This decision will give impetus to the overall prosperity of the region and ensure better developmental facilities," said the prime minister.

Indian parliament has given its approval to abolish the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir in the Indian constitution, besides bifurcating the state into two union territories.

Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday challenging the legislation. According to Press Trust of India, the plea was filed by advocate ML Sharma who claimed that step was taken, without taking any approval from the state assembly.