NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said it would take four months for occupied Jammu and Kashmir to return to normal after his government stripped the state of its special status in August and imposed harsh restrictions.

At a rally in the western state of Maharashtra, Modi said that his government had taken necessary steps to maintain security in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Alongside the withdrawal on Aug. 5 of constitutional provisions that gave occupied Jammu and Kashmir more autonomy than any other Indian state, Modi’s government flooded the region with additional troops, and imposed curfew-like restrictions to keep a lid on protests.

“I assure you that it won’t take more than 4 months to normalise the abnormal situation that has persisted there for 40 years,” Modi said at the rally, speaking in Hindi.

“Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh aren’t just a piece of land for us,” Modi said, referring to the remote Buddhist enclave that borders China.—Reuters