Separatism in J-K more out of convenience than conviction: Jitendra Singh

Separatism in Jammu and Kashmir is more out of convenience rather than conviction and the children of separatists are enjoying while those of common people are suffering, Union Minister Jitendra Singh has said.

The Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said terrorism in the Valley was mercenary in nature and is not driven by any conviction, ideology or motivation.

"It is a paid terrorism perpetrated, funded and sponsored by hostile powers which all of us know," Singh said in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

He said Pakistan never reconciled to Jammu and Kashmir becoming a part of India and therefore resorted to all kinds of tactics and strategies which failed to yield the kind of results which it had envisaged.

"There is no such issue as Kashmir issue. Jammu and Kashmir is a part of Indian Union very much like other States of UP, Bihar or Punjab," he said.

Singh said if at all there was any issue pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir, it was to retrieve the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and restore the original culture and demographic character of the state which would be possible only by the return of the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community.

"Separatists stand exposed. The separatism in Kashmir is more out of convenience rather than conviction, which is not easily palatable but it is a fact," Singh said at an event organised by the Times Network last night.

He termed as "fake" the separatists' freedom model, arguing that it neither follows the Gandhian or Martin Luther model nor does it reflect the Nelson Mandela model.

"It is a model that follows the pattern of getting the neighbours' children to become jihadis and lodging your own children in safe heavens," he said at the event where a documentary series titled 'Kashmir: the story' was also released.

Singh also came down heavily on mainstream politicians for practising what he described as "opportunistic separatism".

"There are so-called politicians and political parties which practise separatism behind the mask of mainstream, that is something we have to guard against. That is the hidden enemy among us.

"Opportunistic separatism practised by some so-called mainstream politicians is even worse than those identified as ones practising separatist agenda," he said.

Singh termed the partition as the "most disastrous blunder" which he said was motivated by the personal ambitions of certain individuals while majority of Indians were against it.

"The blunder of partition was followed by Nehruvian blunders," he said, in reference to the first Prime Minister's declaration of the ceasefire and his approaching the UNO.

"If only Nehru had allowed his Home Minister to handle J and K in the same manner as Sardar Patel was handling other princely states of India, I am sure the history of not just Jammu and Kashmir but of the entire Indian subcontinent would have been different today," he said.

Singh also said some intellectuals were finding Kashmir as a "very fertile playground" and termed their "intellectual terrorism" a cause of greater harm.

Speaking at the event, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said for the last fifty years, the political leadership in the state had only made false promises to the people.

"Be it the promise of freedom. Freedom with Pakistan's help or autonomy," he said.

The governor said the need of the hour was to tell people that the armed struggle was not the solution.

"There is a need to inform people that we want to kill terrorism not them...The policy of healing touch is needed, but what is needed more is development and removing corruption and unemployment," he said.

Malik said his mandate was only to reach out to the people, listen to their problems and prepare a conducive atmosphere for dialogue.

"I don't have the mandate for a dialogue. It's with the Prime Minister and with the political parties and other stakeholders," he said.

He lashed out at the Hurriyat for invoking Pakistan on every occasion.

"The problem with Hurriyat is that they can't even go to the toilet without Pakistan. They want to include Pakistan in every thing. I have made it clear that we won't have anything to do with Pakistan in Kashmir. Talks will take place with Pakistan like they do between any two countries but that would be outside Kashmir not inside it," he said.

Malik also said a litany of lies were being propagated about the situation in Kashmir which in reality was not that bad.

"More people die in Bihar and UP than the number of casualties that take place in Kashmir," he said.