The international media is quite convinced that Article 370 was abolished a year ago in strict compliance with the Constitution of India. However, there was disagreement over the abolition which is normal in a democracy. Even the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir could not set a future for Article 370. Therefore, it was necessary to abolish the article in order to save the people of the valley from corruption, terrorism and separatism and to involve the locals in public welfare projects of the country. Most of the people support this opinion. Even Congress did not oppose the abrogation of article 370 despite questioning the very procedure. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also accepted the abrogation of article 370.

Controversy over this special safeguard of Jammu and Kashmir is nothing new. The members of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly also had a disagreement on article 370. The members of the Constituent Assembly could not come up with any clear idea. They did not even want to make article 370 permanent neither wanted it to be abrogated. In fact, the members of the Constituent Assembly were in dilemma. Some of them wanted an autonomous provincial legislature. According to them, the deviation of provincial power means all power and authority will go to the center.

The other party spoke in favor of the federal structure of India in the Constituent Assembly. During the Congress session in 1948, the then President of the party, Acharya JB Kripalani, also spoke in favor of adequate autonomy of the states. According to him, if power is more centralized, provincial independence will be curtailed. The controversy continues even after the partition. New questions emerged and the issue of the integrity of the country also comes to the fore. Respecting pluralism in India, a federal power structure was designed keeping the integrity of the country in mind. Decentralization of power was also given importance.

Jammu and Kashmir has been a bit isolated from the mainland of India since independence. Although they were states, they followed their own whims. There was a separate constitution for them! Being empowered by the article 370 they were not obliged to abide by many articles of the Indian Constitution. They were enjoying extra-autonomy in the same country. Article 370 was a shield to the emotions of the people of J&K. So they were very sensitive about article 370. Very few people were taking advantage of this 370 section to establish their rule and exploitation in the valley.

That is why it became urgent to abolish article 370 mainly for the interest of development and security of the locals. Despite numbers of amendments in the article problems have not been eliminated. Article 370 has been amended at least 40 times. Central government has changed the government guidelines in J&K many times. Before the abrogation of article 370 last year, 94 out of 97 issues were changed earlier. On August 5 last year, the Indian government finally decided to abolish the article.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while introducing the Jammu and Kashmir Reconstruction Bill at the Rajya Sabha, had slammed article 370. According to him, article 370 is the root cause of corruption, terrorism and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir. The decision of abolishing article 370 will help curb terrorism in the state. Common people will get to enjoy the benefits of various government projects. They will also get reservation facilities for jobs or education like other states in the country. Unlike rest of India, the people of Kashmir were deprived of the right to education or information.

In fact, people of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and underprivileged classes in the valley were deprived of their rights in the name of article 370. Until now, they were unaware about the benefits of multiple projects at the national level. They were deprived of the right to enjoy the benefits of being citizens of India. The abolition of article 370 removed this obstacle.Tthe Hindu Inheritance Act was amended in 2005, but the Hindu women in Kashmir are not yet enjoying its benefits. Now, after the abolition of article 370, women in Kashmirare getting property rights like the rest of the country. Jammu and Kashmir's property transfer law has also been abolished. As a result, Indian citizens now have the right to buy property in Kashmir and Kashmiri people also got freedom of transferring property.

Article 370 has been abolished in accordance with the constitution. There are no legal complications in this regard. Article 370 has been abolished with the support of the majority members of the parliament. Constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap thinks that from the legal point of view, there is no chance to raise any question about the abrogation of article 370. The government has followed the whole process in accordance with the constitution of the country. The international media does not seem to have any questions about the process of abrogating article 370.

According to BBC, many of the opposition MPs have also supported the abolition of article 370. The BBC also noted that many Congress leaders have openly supported it. Former Prime Minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh himself said that ethically they were in favor of abolishing article 370.

Former police chief of Jammu and Kashmir Ashok Bhan supported the government's decision that made a year back. According to him, the decision has boosted people's confidence on the Indian government. Separatist type thinking is going away. He thinks that democratic consciousness is also developing in the valley. This was needed for development and employment as well as for the safety of the local people.

He added that the government should now earn the trust of the local people. Mainstream political activities should also be initiated. Only then will Kashmir return to the country's mainstream, taking away the winds of separatism.

Many are criticizing the government even one year after the abolishmentof article 370. There is also Pakistani support behind this. However, the people of the valley understand that good days await them. The government has focused on development of the valley through short and long term plans. It is time to say goodbye to terrorism by removing weakness towards Pakistan. The people of Kashmir have realized that they must to turn away from Pakistan’s provocations in order to get benefits from Delhi.

In pursuit of gaining the confidence of Delhi, the people of Kashmir are willing to bring back their distracted youth by forgetting help from terrorism. They are also trying to become Indians by heart & soul through changing their separatist mindset. In fact, there is huge opportunity for financial development for the people of the valley. The central government has started restructuring the state. Although it does not currently have the status of a full-fledged state, the government of India has promised to restore it. Before that, Delhi wants nothing but development in Kashmir. Despite having all the natural resources Kashmir has lagged far behind. India wants the development of the common people of Kashmir by eradicating the root of corruption, familism and terrorism.

The abolition of article 370 will bring a new dawn for Jammu and Kashmir through development. Underprivileged and rural people will get all kinds of opportunities, dignity and fundamental rights as citizens of the country. Together with the common man, the central government has given new hope to Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh. The government is determined to establish good governance in the Valley in a federal structure together with all the states. Within a year, the Government of India has been able to meet the expectations by abolishing article 370 and embarking on a series of developmental initiatives which is being resonated by the common people of the valley.