‘“232 days after my detention, today I finally left Hari Niwas. It’s a very different world today to the one that existed on 5th August 2019,” tweeted former CM Omar Abdullah after his release.
As Omar emerged from the Hari Niwas guest house, it markedhis first day as a free man in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Since his detention, erstwhile J&K State’s politicallandscape saw a sea change. The move to abrogate special status of J&K todowngrading the state to Union Territory and bifurcating it was made by J&KRe-organization Act 2019.
While Omar was in detention several foreign delegationsvisited J&K, though these delegations were denied permission to meetdetained leaders.
Before Omar’s arrest, J&K was the only state in Indiawhich had its own constitution. Now there is no separate constitution ofJ&K.
In erstwhile J&K, the citizens of the state enjoyed dualcitizenship which was of the state and that of India. After abrogation ofArticle 370 there is only one citizenship.
Prior to August 2019, only people who had citizenship ofJ&K could buy property here. Now, Indian citizens from other states of thecountry can buy and sell property in J&K. Though there has been assurancefrom the central as well as the UT administration that domicile rights ofJ&K people will be protected,
The erstwhile J&K State had two different flags – ofIndia and the state -hoisted at Secretariat and other places. Now, there is noseparate flag for J&K.
Before dilution of special status, citizens of J&K hadseparate laws related to citizenship, ownership of property and fundamentalrights. Now there is uniform law applicable to rest of the India.
Now, central laws are directly applicable and centre candeclare financial emergencies under Article 360 in J&K.
There have been geographical changes too in J&K duringthis period.
Jammu and Kashmir was a state with separate provisions whereLadakh was a part of the state. Now, J&K is a Union Territory withlegislature while Ladakh is a separate Union Territory without any legislature.
Except for defense, foreign affairs, finance, andcommunications, Parliament needed the state government’s approval for applyingany laws. The Parliament can now implement any law without J&K’s approvalwhich also includes changing the name and its boundaries.
Recently, the central government has set the ball rollingfor delimitation of J&K which would redefine boundaries of assembly and LokSabha constituencies in the UT.