People of Kashmir want end to terrorism: Minister

People of Jammu and Kashmir want an end to terrorism, Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh has said, noting that there was a feeling among residents of the Kashmir Valley that they had been "cheated" due to militancy.

In an interview with ETV, he also said that the government was committed to welfare of Kashmiri Pandits and would do whatever it could for them.

Jitendra Singh, who is MP from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, said the environment in the state had improved and people were yearning for development.

"I will say one thing that the environment has changed in such a way that people themselves want the terrorism to end. This feeling is not only in my constituency areas but also in the Kashmir valley.

"People of Kashmir Valley know that in the name of terrorism, they were cheated and some people benefited from this. There has been no change in the condition and life of the common man. Today's youth there is seeing and feeling how youth from other areas are growing and developing. He does not want stay away from growth and development," Jitendra Singh said.

Asked if the Bharatiya Janata Party will again form an alliance government in Jammu and Kashmir, which was presently under governor's rule, he did not give a definite answer.

"Our state and central leadership will decide on further strategy looking into the situation," he said.

The BJP and People's Democratic Party had joined hands to form government in the state after a fractured mandate but governor's rule was imposed after the death last month of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, as the PDP did not come forward to stake claim.

He noted the Kashmir Valley is incomplete without the Pandits who "have the right to go back to their motherland".

"We are committed to this. We will do whatever can be done looking into their interest," he said.

Jitendra Singh, who is also minister of state for personnel, public grievances, and pensions, said the Central Bureau of Investigation faced "credibility crisis" during the United Progressive Alliance government and has become "totally independent" under the Narendra Modi government.

"The government is not interfering in its work. Not only CBI, we believe in maintaining the constitutional decorum of (all) the institutions," he said.