Mission Kashmir Remained Secret Even To Top Officials

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  1. SR005

    SR005 Bronze IL'ite

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    NEW DELHI: Soon after the inauguration of the second Modi government, a senior functionary received an innocuous query about the type of paper used for presidential orders.

    This was much before speculation started swirling about the government’s plans for J&K, and so he could not have seen it as a prelude to the landmark decision to do away with the “special status” for J&K which had been kept a tightly guarded secret. While the Modi government had made up its mind to get rid of Article 35A, the actual plan remained a secret even to senior members of the government.

    The idea of reducing Article 370 to a lifeless form had been discussed among senior members towards the closing phase of Modi government, especially in the light of advocacy of that route by Jagmohan, former Union minister who had an eventful tenure as J&K governor, in the revised version of his book “My Frozen Turbulence”.

    With Amit Shah as his home minister, Modi quickly took off from where he had left, entrusting the task to national security advisor A K Doval , an old Kashmir hand, and a select set of bureaucrats including home secretary Rajeev Gauba and chief secretary of J&K, B V R Subramanyam.

    Working under Shah’s direct superintendence, the group collaborated with Army chief General Bipin Rawat and heads of paramilitary forces to put up thousands of additional boots on the ground to cope with possible law and order challenges. The renewed threat from Pakistan, which saw the anxiety of US to pull its troops out of Afghanistan as an opening to revive its efforts to disrupt peace, came in handy as it helped camouflage the real purpose of the deployment of troops.

    While reworking the rules for J&K was kept under wraps even from key ministries, the only possible giveaway may have been the query over the paper that may be needed to end the special status enjoyed by the state.

    Read more at:
    Mission Kashmir remained secret even to top officials - Times of India
     
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  2. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    An information will remain a secret only if it is known to one single person. Such a big issue would not have been a secret though common man might not have known anything about it.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi's actual countdown for revoking Article 370 and bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir began during the third week of June, when he chose 1987 batch IAS officer of Chattisgarh cadre, B..V..R. Subramanyam as new Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir.
    Subrahmanyam, who had worked as Joint Secretary (PMO) with the Prime Minister earlier, was one of the key officials in Modi's Mission Kashmir. The entire task of Mission Kashmir was handed over to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who along with Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was reviewing legal implications with a core team, which included Law & Justice Secretary Alok Srivastav, Additional Secretary Law (Home) R.S. Verma, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and his select team of Kashmir Division.

    Before the beginning of the Budget Session, Shah had briefed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat and his aide (General Secretary) Bhaiyaji Joshi about the Centre's determination to revoke Article 370 and subsequent bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two separate Union Territories.

    After legal consultations, Shah focused on the implications of the revocation of Article 370 on the valley's law and order situation. Sources close to Shah revealed that on the Prime Minister's suggestion Shah then had a couple of meetings with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

    The sources said that once Shah had reviewed the situation in Kashmir himself, Doval was sent to Srinagar to assess the situation from a security point of view.

    The NSA camped there for three days. Then on July 26, the decision to curtail the Amarnath Yatra was taken. Later recall of all tourists from the valley was also suggested by the NSA. Apart from this, an additional 100 companies of the central paramilitary were also rushed as back-up to the prevailing security apparatus.

    Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Subramanyam, who was in the loop with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was given the blueprint of several security measures to be taken on ground zero -- use of satellite phones by key police, paramilitary and administration officials; deployment of QRTs in sensitive urban and rural pockets across South Kasmir; and a high vigil at LoC by Army, apprehending mischief from across the border.
    The Army chief, heads of intelligence agencies and Central Para Military Forces were also coordinating with the Union Home Secretary and Chief Secretary 24x7.

    On the crucial night of August 4, Chief Secretary instructed Director General of Police (Jammu and Kashmir) Dilbagh Singh to take several preventive measures which included house arrest of key political leaders, snapping mobile and landline services, declaring Section 144 and preparing drill for clamping curfew in the valley.

    Earlier, on the Delhi front, Shah had another key team set on the job, which included Rajya Sabha members like Anil Baluni and Bhupendra Yadav. The team was tasked to muster the support of fellow members of the august House, where BJP fell short of a majority.

    The team which had engineered a major defection in TDP's Rajya Sabha members had managed Samajwadi Party MPs, Neeraj Shekhar, Surendra Nagar, Sanjay Seth, and Congress MP Sanjay Singh to quit the Rajya Sabha. Thus giving a big boost to the BJP in the upper House.

    At the eleventh hour, the team also managed BSP leader Satish Mishra to support the move related to Article 370 and bifurcation of the state..
    In the meantime, Amit Shah also had close door meetings with key journalists (having access in the MHA) to be balanced in reporting while touching highly sensitive issues, which have international implications.

    Sources said that by August 2, Shah was confident that his party had enough support in the Rajya Sabha and would introduce the historical bill(of bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir) in the Upper House by Monday.

    Subsequently, a whip was issued by the BJP instructing all members to remain in their respective House hinting them that important bills were expected to be passed.

    Highly placed sources revealed that finally on the weekend, it was decided by Modi and Shah to convene a meeting of the Cabinet at the PM's residence on Monday, to disclose Mission Kashmir's objective to Ministers and pass a resolution thereof, prior to the proceedings of the House.

    Similarly, the Ministry of Law and Justice was tasked for prompt issuance of notification by the President of India on the revocation of Article 370.
    After Shah introduced the Bill amid chaos in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, a BJP MP reacted: "Shah's mission has never been defeated. He is the new Sardar (Vallabhbhai Patel)."
    So many communications and interations have taken place at high levels.That is administration.Any temporary and transcient provision will have its end one day.Unfortunately or fortunately, the temporary provision has been in existence for 70 long years( two generations) to make it look permanet

    Now that the cat is out of the bag.Even now confusion prevails;contradictary opinions are expressed by leaders,journalists and even legal luminaries.Common man is as ignrant as ever.

    ramasala
     
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  3. Balajee

    Balajee IL Hall of Fame

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    tHE DECISION WAS TAKEN BY TWO PERSONS MODI AND sHAH WITHOUT PLACING IT BEFORE THE CABINET. THEN THE FINANCE AND DEFENCE MINISTER WERE BROUGHT INTO LOOP. oNLY AFTER THE ORDER WAS ISSUED WAS THE FOREIGN OFFICE TOLD TO LAUNCH A DIPLOMATIC OFFENSIVE.
     
  4. SR005

    SR005 Bronze IL'ite

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    very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
     

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