Pakistani Minister Mentions Northeast Indian States in Parliament

Islamabad, August 11, 2019:

The Northeastern states are now being discussed in the Pakistani Parliament as well. In a recent discussion on the abrogation of the Article 370 in Kashmir in the Pakistani Parliament, Pakistani Minister for Railways, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad mentioned the names of several Northeastern states during a discussion on Kashmir.

"Article 371 has been implemented in Mizoram, it has been implemented in Nagaland, and in Assam. It is being implemented in four states, but no amendments have been made, then why in Srinagar?, Ahmad queries.

The abrogation of the Article 370, which provided separate constitutional safeguards to Kashmiris, has raised concerns that similar safeguards which apply to Northeastern States, might also be revoked. A political party from Mizoram, PRISM, has expressed its concerns regarding the same, while Assam's peasant leader Akhil Gogoi has suggested the Northeastern states might be the next target. However, Home Minister Amit Shah said at the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the government had no intention of removing Article 371 of the Constitution.

It may be mentioned that the Minister has also announced the closure of the 'Samjhata Express', which used to run between India and Pakistan.

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