Parliamentary Panel to review J&K and Ladakh situation

New Delhi: Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla will appear before the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma, at around 11:30 am on Friday in Parliament Library Building to discuss about the situation in Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh.

According to an official communication, the agenda of the meeting would be to have a briefing by the Home Secretary on the situation in Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The committee would seek details of the number of arrests and detained persons in Jammu & Kashmir since August 5, after the abrogation of article 370 from the Union Territory which was then a state.

The committee is headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma, Rajya Sabha member from Himachal Pradesh. There are 9 other members from Rajya Sabha and 21 members from Lok Sabha. Out of these 5 are from West Bengal and the committee also has two members – Shamsher Singh Manhas from Rajya Sabha and Jamyang Tsering Namgyal from Lok Sabha – who are from Jammu and Kashmir.

Government of India on August 5 abrogated article 370 and 35A. From October 31, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were formally made Union Territories.