Pakistan sole cause of problems in J&K: Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday refuted Congress' charge that Jammu and Kashmir was disturbed because of the PDP-BJP coalition government failed to handle the situation, and instead blamed Pakistan as the "sole reason" for the problems there.

"To think that because BJP-PDP coalition is ruling there and that's why there is this problem, is not correct," he said during a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the situation in the state.

Jaitley said Pakistan never accepted that Jammu and Kashmir is part of India, and hence continued its effort to disturb it.

"Pakistan never reconciled the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India," he said, adding that it was the sole reason for unrest in the hilly state.

Agreeing that situation was good before militant Burhan Wani was shot dead by security forces, the minister said that it would be wrong to think that the situation deteriorated because of anything else, but Pakistan supporting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said Pakistan, after fighting conventional wars with India, realized that it was impossible to defeat it through these so it adopted the strategy of terrorism.

Responding to Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad on the issue, Jaitley said that it was not television debates on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir or anything else that was causing unrest there, "it was Pakistan that was creating the problem".

He also defended security forces for their action against separatists and terrorists, saying no sovereign country can allow attacks on its forces and interests, but however, accepted that excessive use of force should be avoided.

--IANS

sk/vd