No takers of strike calls in Kashmir: Jitendra Singh

Srinagar: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said that there were no takers of strike calls now in Kashmir. Talking to media persons on the sidelines of the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting being held at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre Srinagar, Singh said that “earlier strike calls were being given from the soil of Pakistan and shops were being closed in Srinagar on such occasions’ ‘.

He said today people are carrying on their lives despite calls being given for strikes from that soil.

“The mindset of a common man in Kashmir valley has changed and false narrative has been corrected”, he added

“I think the people who are coming here (Kashmir) from international countries are the real ambassadors and friends of India who will go back to correct the false narrative which was tried to be developed and manufactured by the self-style critics, self-styled commentators and self- righteous activist and those vested interest people who think that peace will never return to Kashmir”, Singh said.

He said right from 1990 an evil eye looked at the paradise valley that separated it from being developed.

“Sometimes I think it would have been like Hyderabad and even at that time whatever international events were being… would be held in Srinagar itself”, he said.

He said the SKICC was made to hold international conferences.

“I remember once a medical conference was going on and curfew was declared by the authorities at that time due to an unhealthy situation..now that narrative has completely changed”, he added.

Asked where he sees Kashmir hereafter, the minister said that the union territory is running towards development and has become a part of the development agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Today it is evident that the G20 Tourism Group Meet which is going on here was not being held by compromising with certain aspects”, he said and added, “I think we have become a part of the global world now with India and our challenges, benchmarks, development growth are now global”.

On a question to those countries who have not attended the G20 meeting, he said “You don’t have to waste your time on that. If you are talking about Pakistan..since 1947 they have never accepted that Pak occupied Kashmir is a part of India”.

UNI