JK part of India, Pakistan has no right to talk about it: Union Minister
Srinagar, May 23 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India, and Pakistan has no right to talk about it and should rather pay attention towards its own people, Union Tourism Minister G K Reddy said here on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the third G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here, Reddy said Pakistan was battling a crisis and should focus on its own plight.
“Whatever we do is for the benefit of our people. Who is Pakistan to say anything? What right does it have? J-K has been a part of India since Independence. This is our land, these are our people, and thousands of people have sacrificed their lives for it. Who is Pakistan to say anything,” the Union asked.
Pakistan should pay attention to itself and do something for the betterment of its people. “Provide them employment, food… Why are you talking about us? You have no right. Pakistan is battling a crisis, people are dying of hunger, they do not get rice or gas, so it should focus there,” Reddy said.
He asserted that the people of Jammu and Kashmir were happy. The Centre was doing everything for them and would continue to do so in the future as well, he added.
“There is no need to give importance to what Pakistan says. Pakistan is finished. We do not have to think about Pakistan. We have to think about the people of J-K,” the minister said.
Talking about the Centre’s initiatives on tourism, Reddy said India will hold a tourism summit to discuss the investments in popular tourist states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
“We have to project India as the number-one destination globally. Private investment is necessary and without it, a huge country like India with such a huge population and lakhs of destinations cannot increase tourism,” he said.
