Giving packages to J&K is a sign of weakness: Bitta

AIATF chief Maninderjit Singh Bitta on Thursday strongly opposed the J&K CM`s demand for a special package for the state saying this would amount to conceding victory to Pakistan-inspired militants.

Jalandhar: All-India Anti-Terrorist Front
chief Maninderjit Singh Bitta on Thursday strongly opposed the Jammu
and Kashmir Chief Minister`s demand for a special package for
the state saying this would amount to conceding victory to
Pakistan-inspired militants who are fomenting violence in the
Valley.
Bitta, who is a former president of the Youth Congress
and himself a victim of terrorist attacks, asked for
abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution which confers
special status on Jammu and Kashmir.

Any special package for the state would be a useless
waste of money. Lavishing more and more money on Kashmir had
in fact created the present problem, he said, adding that
mollycoddling was not the way to bring the Kashmiris into the
mainstream.

"Giving more and more packages is a sign of weakness and
the centre should not concede this demand," Bitta said.

He felt that the central and state governments were more
worried about rehabilitating the militants than providing
relief to the Kashmiri pandits languishing outside the state
after being driven out from the Valley decades ago.
He saw the hand of Pakistan behind the continuing
violence in the Valley saying this was part of the conspiracy
to separate Kashmir from India.

Bitta disapproved of the India-Pakistan talks and the
visits of senior government ministers to Pakistan. This he
said was a sign of weakness in dealing with a country which
was acknowledged as a nursery for international terrorism.

"Instead India should press USA, UK and Russia to declare
Pakistan a terrorist state," he added.

PTI

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