External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed his views on talks about Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) being part of India, highlighting the progress in the Kashmir valley and why people in Kashmir shouldn’t be blamed for the problems.
Speaking at an event at a school in Delhi, Jaishankar said, “I don’t think people are saying that PoK will be part of India. PoK was always a part of India… PoK, for reasons we all know, is currently occupied by Pakistan.
We are seeing a lot of ferment in PoK… One reason could be that they are seeing the progress in Kashmir valley, they are saying their life is getting better, why should I be left behind, maybe… Please do not blame the people of Kashmir for any problems that they have been in for the last eighty years.
It is a small section of the leadership there which has caused the problem…”
“Once you bring normalcy to Kashmir and integrate them with India, suddenly the economy picks up, tourism picks up, people start going to school, medical colleges start up, businesses grow, and international flights happen.
All this could have happened before, but a small section of people wanted to keep it backwards because they were getting benefits out of it and they were propagating their political views…
Kashmir is a good example of what happens when there is good governance,” ANI quoted Jaishankar as saying.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Congress on Kashmir issue, asserting that the party did not revoke Article 370, which allowed special status to Jammu and Kashmir, for the sake of appeasement politics.
While addressing an election rally in Karnal Haryana, Shah reiterated that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to India and “we will take it back”.
