Amit Shah to begin his Jammu and Kashmir visit today

After reaching Srinagar, the capital city of the state, Shah will take a chopper to reach the Amarnath Cave Shrine to pay obeisance. The BJP president will meet the saffron leaders and members of the panchayat on Thursday.

This is Shah's first visit to the northern state after the BJP registered a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha polls with 303 under its belt.

Since the conclusion of the elections, all eyes are on some of the promises made by the BJP in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto like scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35A, the steps which may lead to a clash with the regional parties of Kashmir like Peoples Democratic Party and National Conference.

Article 370 allows Jammu and Kashmir to have its own constitution, flag and right to handle its own laws except on matters that impact national security.

Article 35A, which was incorporated in the constitution by a 1954 Presidential order, defines the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir. It bars people from outside the state to own immovable property in Jammu and Kashmir. It was aimed at protecting the rights and guarantee the unique identity of the people of the state.

Under the Jammu-Kashmir constitution, a Permanent Resident is a person who was a state subject on May 14, 1954, or who has been residing in the state for a period of 10 years, and has “lawfully acquired immovable property in the state”.

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