The Centre has decided to postpone by a month its planned maiden investor summit in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior government official told .The meet, which was originally scheduled to be held in October, had been postponed as the necessary arrangements including security for the delegates could not be made in time.

There is no time to make the preparations and arrange the logistics,” said the official speaking on condition of anonymity. “It has been decided to postpone the summit by a month,” the official added.

Navin K. Choudhary, Principal Secretary, Industry &Commerce and Tourism Department, Jammu & Kashmir, had announced on August13 that the summit would be held from October 12-14 in Srinagar and Jammu. Severe restrictions including a communications blockade have been imposed in the Kashmir Valley since August 5 when Home Minister Amit Shah moved two Bills inthe Rajya Sabha to read down Article 370, which had granted special status toJ&K, and downgrade and bifurcate the State into two Union Territories.TheCentre has asserted that annulling Article 370 would bring in development andopen opportunities for business investments in J&K, which is set to benotified as an Union Territory from October 31.Union ministers, representativesof other State Governments and top industrialists and business groups of thecountry were expected to participate in the summit.

Another official said that the Union Cabinet Secretary wasmonitoring the situation in the Kashmir Valley. “All ministries have been askedto make a blueprint on how they could generate employment and contribute todevelopment in J&K,” the official said.

J&K Governor Satyapal Malik had asserted on Wednesdaythat about 50,000 vacancies would be filled soon in J&K. “The jobs havebeen identified and this will also help in removing dead wood from theadministration,” said the official, who declined to be identified. The officialclaimed that Pakistan was posting fake videos online to incite violence inJ&K. “They are even sending videos and messages to Northeast insurgentgroups and spreading rumours that special status of Nagaland will also beabrogated,” added the official.