Srinagar, Oct 23 KINS): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday slammed the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for asking India to resolve Kashmir issue.
Reacting to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement asking India to resolve the Kashmir issue, he said,
“We are ready for talks with anybody and take steps in this regard. But talks and terrorism can’t go together. Pakistan has been sponsoring the terrorism. The terrorism will be wiped out from JK,” Singh told a press conference here. “There are some countries that don’t want development in India but we won’t allow their designs to succeed. Our country will be among the top five economies in the world,” he said.
He was one a one day visit to Kashmir. His visit to Kashmir came few days after the concluding of urban local bodies elections in the state. The overall poll percentage of all phases across the state was 35.1 percent. Jammu recorded a voter turnout of 68.4 percent while in Kashmir it did not cross the two digit number.
Singh appealed the people to participate in the upcoming panchayat polls. “India has a vibrant democracy. All the issues will be resolved through democratically. Those who don’t believe in the democratic process are not the well wishers of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. He hoped that all parties including the PDP and NC would participate in the panchayat polls.
The recently conducted urban local bodies elections were boycotted by two major regional parties including the NC and PDP due to the Centre’s unclear stand on Article 35A. However, Singh called Article 35 A “non-issue”. “We did not fiddle with it,” he said.
Over the low voter turn-out in the urban local bodies’ polls, Singh said that polling percentage would have been better.
“But these polls were held peacefully and in a transparent manner. I hope people will come out to vote and parties will participate in panchayat polls. The urban local bodies and panchayat polls are to empower the grass root level of the state. These are to empower the people and for devolution of power,” he said.
He said it was people to decide how far the JK got benefitted through the PDP-BJP government.
The Union Home Minister condoled the death of seven civilian in Kulgam. “It is unfortunate that civilian killing took place in Kulgam after an explosion exploded following the encounter. The security forces had left the place when the explosion exploded,” he said, while announcing Rs 5 lakh to each victim family.
However, he claimed that forces were taking preventive measures to avoid civilian killings. He appealed people not to rush to the encounter sites.
He said there has been a “major” shift in security situation of the state. “There has been reduction in stone pelting and in militantrecruitment.”
He said that Union Home Ministry would provide 11,000 jobs to JK youth. Besides he said that 2.5 lakh youth would be engaged in various centrally sponsored schemes.
He also announced Rs 350 crore for the development of Dal Lake.
Terming corruption a “major disease” in JK, he said, “Major steps are being taken to eradicate the corruption. An action plan is also being framed in this regard.”
Pak sponsoring terrorism: Rajnath Singh
