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India defends Article 370 move, slams Pak after UNSC closed-door meeting

Srinagar: India on Friday said that the country's national position was and remains that matters related to Article 370 are entirely an internal matter, after a rare closed-door meeting at the United Nations Security Council to discuss New Delhi's move to end the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting was called after Pakistan - backed by its all-weather ally- China, requested "closed consultations" on the issue.

The Chinese ambassador to the United Nations said that members of the UNSC generally feel both India and Pakistan should refrain from taking unilateral actions over Kashmir. The situation in Kashmir is "already very tense and dangerous," said Chinese ambassador Zhang Jun.

Syed Akbaruddin, India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Security, said the government is committed to gradually removing all restrictions in Kashmir and the government is undertaking steps towards normalcy.

"Change is internal to India. This change hasn't affected our external orientation," he said.

Meanwhile, most phone lines in Kashmir will be restored over the weekend and schools will reopen next week, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam said on Friday while announcing the easing of restrictions in a phased and "orderly way".

Offices of the Jammu and Kashmir government in the Valley functioned normally on Friday and the attendance in many offices was "quite high", Subrahmanyam said at a press conference.

He said there has been no loss of life or major injury since restrictions were imposed on August 5, when Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 was revoked and the state bifurcated into two Union Territories.

"...There will be easing of restrictions in the next few days in an orderly way," Subrahmanyam told reporters here, adding that steps would be taken keeping in view the evolving situation as well as the cooperation of the people in maintaining calm and peace.

"Schools will be opened after the weekend area-wise so that children's studies do not suffer," he said.

"Telecom connectivity, a major point of concern, will gradually be eased and restored in a phased manner keeping in mind the constant threat posed by terrorist organisations in using mobile connectivity to organise terror actions", Subrahmanyam said.

Asked about the restoration of telephone lines, he said, "You will see gradual restoration from tonight and tomorrow onwards. You will find a lot of Srinagar functioning Saturday morning. BSNL takes a couple of hours to get back to action. Exchange by exchange they will be switching it on. Over the weekend, you will have most of these lines functional."

Earlier, the Supreme Court said it will wait for sometime before passing any direction on the plea seeking the removal of restrictions on the media in J&K after the Centre said curbs are being lifted gradually.

During the hearing, the Centre told the apex court that the situation is improving in J&K and the curbs are being lifted gradually.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices S A Bobde and S A Najeer said, "We would like to give little time. We have read in the newspaper that landline and broadband connections are being restored gradually. Therefore, we will take up the petition with other connected matters," the bench said.

Meanwhile, India suspended weekly Thar Link Express which connects Jodhpur in Rajasthan to Karachi in Pakistan, a railway official said.

Former CM of J&K Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija Mufti has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the restrictions on the people in Kashmir Valley.

In the letter, she said that while the country was celebrating Independence Day, Kashmiri people were being "caged like animals" and "deprived of basic human rights".

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