Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Srinagar,Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday along with nine other opposition leaders acrossparty lines. This comes weeks after the Centre abrogated Article 370, thespecial status given to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. On August 13,Rahul had accepted an “invitation” extended by Jammu and Kashmir Governor SatyaPal Malik to visit the region, which is currently under an unprecedentedsecurity cover. Responding to Malik’s statement wherein he said that he wouldsend an aircraft for the former Congress chief to visit Jammu and Kashmir andsee the prevailing situation for himself, Rahul said that instead of theaircraft, he would need “freedom” to travel and meet people.

Taking to microblogging site Twitter, the Gandhi scionshared a report where Malik was quoted as saying that had invited Rahul Gandhito the Valley. The Congress leader tweeted that he would accept the “graciousinvitation” and would want to meet common people, political leaders andsoldiers deployed.The parties that will accompany Congress are TrinamoolCongress (TMC), CPI-M, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), CPI, DMK, and SamajwadiParty (SP). Opposition leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sitaram Yechuri, DRaja, Manoj Jha, and Dinesh Trivedi will be part of the delegation. The leaderswill board a Vistara flight from the national capital at 11.50 am.This will beAzad's third attempt to enter the newly formed Union Territory (UT) as he wasdetained earlier on two occassions. On August 20 he detained at the JammuAirport in Jammu and Kashmir and on August 8, he was detained at the SrinagarAirport.

Reacting on the visit, the Jammu and Kashmir administrationhas asked the leaders to not visit Srinagar as they would be jeopardizing withthe convenience of the people. It also added that the senior political leadersshould not make attempts to disturb the gradual restoration of normal life.Taking to Twitter, the Department of Information and Public Relations alsoasked the senior leaders to understand that the priority should be maintainingpeace, order and preventing loss of human lives."At a time when thegovernment is trying to protect the people of Jammu & Kashmir from thethreat of cross border terrorism and attacks by militants and separatists andgradually trying to restore public order by controlling miscreants and mischiefmongers, attempts should not be made by senior political leaders to disturb thegradual restoration of normal life. Political leaders are requested to cooperateand not visit Srinagar as they would be putting other people to inconvenience.They would also be violating restrictions that are still there in many areas.Senior leaders should understand that top priority would be given tomaintaining peace, order and preventing loss of human lives," tweeted theadministration.On August 6, 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind signed the orderscrapping Article 370 and Article 35A from Jammu and Kashmir. In another move,the Centre also reorganised Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories withtwo Lieutenant Governors. One Union Territory is Ladakh which will have noassembly while the other is Jammu and Kashmir with an assembly.

A few days before the decision, the Centre had beefed up thesecurity measures in the region as there is a threat that Pakistan-backedterror groups may try to inflame passions and foment trouble. Curfew wasimposed in the former state while internet services shut down and telephonelines blocked. Several Kashmiri political leaders were detained and put underhouse arrest and preventive custody.

The scrapping of Article 370 was announced by Home MinisterAmit Shah in Parliament amid uproar by opposition parties. The decision is inline with what the BJP had promised in its manifesto before the Lok Sabhaelection 2019.Shah had made an earnest appeal in Rajya Sabha for politics to bekept on the distant sidelines and for members of the Upper House to cometogether as one for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Backing the move to revokeArticle 370 in the state, he said that it was the core reason why people herehad not had either peace or seen development.