भाजपा की पूरी रणनीती विधानसभा चुनाव को इन दो राष्ट्रीय मुददो पर ही लडने की है.शायद भाजपा को इस बात का अहसास है कि भले ही पांच साल लगातार सरकार चलाकर मुखयमंत्री देवेन्द्र फणनवीस लोकप्रिय तो हुये हैं लेकिन इतने भी नहीं कि उनके नाम पर फिर से सरकार आजाये .इसलिए बीजेपी अपने आजमाये हुए फार्मूले राष्ट्रवाद और अल्पसंख्यक तुष्टीकरण पर ही चुनाव को ले आना चाहती है.

भाजपा के रणनीतीकार और गृहमंत्री अमित शाह भी अपनी हर रैली में केवल कशमीर .आतंकवाद और 370 को हटाये जाने की बात ही करते है . वो कहते है कि केवल 56 इंच वाले मोदी ही ऐसा कर सकते है किसी में हिम्मत नहीं .दोनों ही बडे नेता इस बार विकास पर बात नहीं कर रहे और न ही किसान कर्जमाफी से लेकर रोजगार जैसे मुददों पर कोई बात हो रही है . जब केन्द्रीय मंत्री रविशंकर प्रसाद ने मंदी को लेकर बालीवुड की फिल्मों की कमाई की तुलना कर दी उनको अगले ही दिन सफाई देने भी कह दिया . बीजेपी के रणनीतीकार भी जानते है कि अर्थव्यवस्था की मंदी की बात होगी तो फिर बात नोटबंदी और जीएसटी की भी होने लगेगी जिससे सब परेशान है .इसलिए बीजेपी नेताओं को साफ कहा गया है कि चुनाव में केवल 370 और ट्रिपल तलाक की बात ही कही जाये.

बीजेपी का अपना सर्वे भी कह रहा है कि 370 को हटाये जाने के कारण उसके वोटबैंक में इजाफा हुआ है और इस पर जोर दिया जाये तो सरकार के खिलाफ नाराजगी को रोका जा सकता है. मुशिकल ये है कि विपक्ष अब भी इस रणनीती के खिलाफ अपनी कोई बडी कोशिश नही कर पाया है . विपक्ष अगर पूरी तरह से स्थानीय मुददों पर फोकस कर दे और केवल रोजगार .मंदी .किसान आत्महत्या . सडको की खराब हालत , कर्जमाफी में कमी जैसे मुददों पर ही बात करे तो उसे कुछ फायदा मिल सकता है. हालांकि इसमें बहुत देर हो गयी है . विपक्ष पहले से ही लडाई के लिए तैयार नही दिख रहा है.

Governor Satya Pal Malik had  lifted the restriction on entry of tourists after holding a security review meeting. The government had asked the tourists to curtail their stay in the Valley “immediately” soon after it took the step to call off the annual Amarnath Yatra on August 2. Then the Parliament effectively scrapped Article 370 of the Constitution that given special status to the state, and divided it into two union territories.

The administration had also imposed restrictions on movement, snapped phone and telephone lines, arrested the state’s political class and deployed more troops to prevent any backlash to the controversial move.

Tourist operators had told the media in late August they were badly hit by the sharp drop-off in visitor numbers, and were worried many people would stay away for a prolonged period.

More than half a million people visited the valley in the first seven months of this year, according to official data. In addition, some 340,000 religious tourists were also visiting the valley in July before their pilgrimage was called off due to the terror claims. Just 150 foreign travellers visited Kashmir after August 5, the figures showed.

The measure to lift the travel ban, however, has been called half-hearted by critics, with many pointing out that hardly anyone would want to visit till the communication blackout persists.

Over the last one week, the administration has taken some steps to test the uneasy calm in the state as it has come under increasing international scrutiny for the prolonged clampdown .

On Wednesday, the administration re-opened higher secondary schools, colleges and universities. In Srinagar, security forces were stationed outside the prestigious Sri Pratap College and were allowing students on the campus after checking their identity cards.

The administration will also release three political detainees on Thursday after making them sign a bond, promising “good behaviour”. ​

Fresh restrictions have been imposed in areas around Hazratbal, while the curbs continued in five police station areas of downtown interior areas of the city, the officials said.

They said the restrictions under Section 144 CrPc have been imposed to support law and order.

The authorities have imposed restrictions in vulnerable areas of the valley every Friday, apprehending that vested interests might exploit the large gatherings at big mosques and shrines to fuel protests.

Friday prayers have not been allowed at any of the major mosques or shrines including Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta or Dargah Sharief in Hazratbal – in the valley for the past over a month now.

The restrictions were first imposed across Kashmir on 5 August when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcate the state into two Union territories. The restrictions were lifted in phases from many parts of the valley as the situation improved with the passage of time.

While landline across the valley were functional, voice calls on mobile devices were working only in Kupwara and Handwara police districts of north Kashmir.

The efforts of the state government to open schools have not borne any fruit as parents continued to keep children at home due to apprehensions about their safety.

Most of the top-level and second rung separatist politicians have been taken into custody while mainstream leaders including three former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have also been either detained or placed under house arrest.

official said primary schools in the Valley will reopen today though officials believe that there won’t be much attendance because of the restrictions. On Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir authorities made 10 more telephone exchanges operational in Kashmir Valley, but again snapped services of one of the 17 centres restored on Saturday, officials said.

The authorities closed one of the 17 exchanges after reports that landline phones were being used for spreading misinformation campaign, they said. With these, around 28,000 fixed-line phones, out of around 50,000 in Kashmir Valley, were functional.

meanwhile Jammu and Kashmir Home Secretary Shaleen Kabra issued a warning against the “fake news” that the weapons of special police officers of J&K police are being seized, “This is purely a rumour being spread by vested interests. It is categorically denied.”

The exchanges that opened on Sunday were in areas around Dal Lake, Civil Secretariat and Nishat in Srinagar district; Pattan, Boniyar and Baramulla town in north Kashmir; Chadoora, Chrar-e Shariff in Budgam district; and Aishmuqam in South Kashmir.

Landline and mobile phone services and Internet were suspended in Kashmir Valley in the early hours of August 5 before the Centre announced its move to abrogate provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and divide the state into two Union Territories.

Low-speed Internet services in Jammu region, which were made operational on Saturday, were snapped again on Sunday after it was found that a video clip with the potential to trigger communal tension were being circulated.

However, Inspector General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh said the 2G network has “temporarily been disconnected due to some technical reasons which is being rectified and efforts are on to ensure restoration as soon as possible”.

Police said searches were being carried out for nabbing those behind the video clip. Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh had warned that stern action would taken against anyone misusing Internet facility.

The exchange of fire began during a search operation launched by security forces Tuesday evening after they received information that terrorists were present there, the official said.

He said the cordon was strengthened to prevent the terrorists from escaping.

“In the ensuing gunfight, an unidentified terrorist was killed. The body has been recovered while his identity and group affiliation is being ascertained,” he added.

A seventh accused, namely Vishal — son of main accused Sanji Ram — has been acquitted by the court, giving him the ‘benefit of doubt’, said Farooqi Khan, who represented the victim’s family in the court.

The court pronounced its much-awaited verdict away from the gaze of media which has gathered outside the premises.

Sanji Ram, the caretaker of the temple where the crime took place, Special Police Officer Deepak Khajuria and Parvesh Kumar, a civilian, have been convicted under Ranbir Penal Code sections pertaining to criminal conspiracy, murder, gangrape and destruction of evidence, the lawyers said.

Two police officials — Sub Inspector Anand Dutta and Head Constable Tilak Raj –and a special police officer Surender Verma have been convicted for destruction of evidence, they said.

The crime branch of J&K Police had filed the chargesheet against eight accused, including a juvenile.

According to the 15-page chargesheet filed in April last year, the girl was kidnapped on January 10 that year and was allegedly raped in captivity in a small village temple, exclusively manned by Ram, after having been kept sedated for four days. She was later bludgeoned to death.

The day-to-day trial commenced in the first week of June last year at the district and sessions court in Pathankot in neighbouring state of Punjab, about 100 km from Jammu and 30 km from Kathua, after the Supreme Court ordered on May 7, 2018 that the case be shifted out of Jammu and Kashmir.

The apex court order came after lawyers in Kathua prevented Crime Branch officials from filing a chargesheet in the sensational case, which shocked the nation.

The prosecution team in the case comprised J K Chopra, S S Basra and Harminder Singh.

The Crime Branch arrested Ram, his juvenile nephew and his son Vishal, and two special police officers Khajuria and Verma. Raj and Dutta, who allegedly took Rs 4 lakh from Ram and destroyed crucial evidence, were also arrested.

The charges of rape and murder were framed by the district and sessions judge against seven out of the eight accused.

The trial against the juvenile is yet to begin as his petition on determining his age is to be heard by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

The court framed charges under the Ranbir Penal Code(RPC), including Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder) and 376-D (gang-rape), according to the prosecution.

The court also framed charges of destruction of evidence and causing hurt by poisoning under Section 328 of the RPC.

The two policemen – Raj and Datta – were also charged under Section 161 (public servant taking illegal gratification) of the RPC.

All the accused, barring the juvenile, were shifted to the Gurdaspur jail in Punjab following an intervention by the Supreme Court which also restricted appearance of the defence lawyers and limited it to one or maximum of two per accused.

Two more soldiers and a civilian were injured. The terrorists, believed to be from Jaish-e-Mohammed, were holed up in a house. A fourth body found at the encounter site was of a civilian, who was caught in the crossfire, the police said.

A huge quantity of weapons has been recovered.