'No power on Earth can bring Article 370 back': PM Modi declares after Pak defence minister's remark (WATCH)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly denounced recent remarks by Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, asserting that no external force could reinstate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Sep 19, 2024, 4:33 PM IST | Last Updated Sep 19, 2024, 4:33 PM IST

In a fervent address at a public rally in Katra on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly denounced recent remarks by Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, asserting that no external force could reinstate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Modi’s statements came amid a contentious political climate in the region and the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.

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Addressing a large crowd, PM Modi declared, “Pakistan defence minister has supported manifesto of NC, Congress. These parties implement Pakistan's agenda. We will not allow Pakistan's agenda to be implemented in J&K. No power on Earth can bring back Article 370."

His comments were aimed at countering Asif’s claim that the National Conference (NC) and Congress could potentially restore the controversial provision if they come to power in Jammu and Kashmir.

The backdrop to Modi’s remarks involves a heated debate over the abrogation of Article 370 by the Indian government in August 2019. The move, which ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and led to its bifurcation into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh—was widely condemned by Pakistan and remains a contentious issue in regional politics.

Earlier today, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also weighed in on the issue, criticizing Khwaja Asif’s statements. On social media, Shah accused the Congress and the NC of aligning with Pakistan’s agenda.

“Pakistan's Defence Minister's statement about Congress and JKNC's support on Article 370 and 35A has once again exposed Congress. This statement has once again made it clear that Congress and Pakistan have the same intentions and agenda,” Amit Shah wrote on X in Hindi.

Shah further chastised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, alleging that Gandhi and his party have consistently sided with anti-India forces. He recalled Gandhi’s past criticisms of Indian military operations and suggested that Congress’s stance on Kashmir reflects a broader alignment with Pakistan’s interests.

"Be it asking for proof of air strikes and surgical strikes or saying objectionable things about the Indian Army, the tune of Rahul Gandhi's Congress Party and Pakistan has always been the same and Congress has always been hand in glove with anti-national forces," Shah added.

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What Khawaja Asif said

In a recent interview on Geo News’ Capital Talk, Khwaja Asif asserted that Pakistan and the National Conference-Congress alliance share a common objective regarding Article 370 and 35A.

"I think it is possible. Currently, the National Conference and Congress have very big importance over there. The population of the valley has been motivated a lot on this issue and I believe, there is a chance that the Conference (National Conference) will come to power. They have made this an election issue that the status of Jammu and Kashmir should be restored," Asif said.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Amit Malviya too attacked Rahul Gandhi and Congress stating that the grand old party has always seen on the side of India's enemies.

"Pakistan, a terrorist state, endorses Congress and National Conference's position on Kashmir. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, on Hamid Mir's Capital Talk on Geo News, says, "Pakistan and National Conference-Congress alliance are on the same page in Jammu & Kashmir to restore Article 370 and 35A". How is it that, from Pannun to Pakistan, Rahul Gandhi and his Congress, are always seen on the side of those inimical to India's interest?" he wrote on X.

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