Srinagar: Union Minister Jitendra Singh Monday said that the people in J&K do not respond to strike calls anymore and that the false narrative by the vested interests does not exist now as people had moved on with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mission of development.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the G20 event here, the union minister said that the way the G20 event was conducted here sends a global message that the people of Kashmir had moved on with the mission led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for development and progress of the country, particularly of J&K.
"Kashmiri is intelligent, has aspirations, and is forward looking. A common Kashmiri is watching how Modi transformed India and Kashmir in the last nine years," he said.
Singh said that the people from J&K, especially youth do not want to keep themselves away from achievements.
"There was a time when a hartal call was given by Pakistan and markets would close in Kashmir but that has become a thing of the past now. However, the mindset of people has changed as they do not need to pay the strike calls issued from Pakistan and or by some people in Srinagar,” he said.
The union minister said that the people of Kashmir had understood that they want to be part of Modi's mission of transformation and development, which had given the country recognition at the global level.
He said that the delegates who had arrived in Kashmir would go back as the real ambassadors of Kashmir with a message that the false narrative being created by the vested interests with regard to J&K does not exist anymore.
"It is clear that the false perception and narratives of self made righteous activists with vested interest does not exist now. Since the 1990s, Kashmir has remained far away from development. Otherwise it would have been developed like Hyderabad," the union minister said.
He said that SKICC, where the G20 summit was being conducted, had come up to host such international conferences.
"Unfortunately, we lost our two generations to terrorism but the present generation has become an important part of Modi's mission and they do not want to miss any opportunities now," Singh said.
About film tourism, he said Kashmir was a famous film destination and gave recognition to many film stars like Shami Kapoor.
Briefing about the sequence of G20 events, the union minister said that inauguration session, working sessions, bilateral meeting, and one-on-one discussions would follow the cultural events held on Monday.
About the countries who did not participate in the G20 event in Kashmir, he hinted at Pakistan saying that the country since 1947 could not realise that Kashmir was an integral part of India.
“Media should not waste its time on which country did not participate in the event," Singh said.
