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JAMMU : Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday said that there was no need of United Nations Office in Srinagar now but clarified that issue falls in the domain of External Affairs Ministry and they have to take a call on it.
Responding to a question that whether the UN office should be closed in Srinagar as the situation has improved and the issue now is not Jammu and Kashmir but Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK), Sinha said the issue is not in his domain and the External Affairs Ministry will be in a better position to respond to this.
“But there is no need (of the UN office now in Srinagar),’’ he said in an interview with a national news channel.
He said he has good relations with the Government.
“Prior to elected Government, the agenda was peace, development, investments and job. If elected Government also has similar agenda; neither we will have any problem nor the Government will have,’’ the Lieutenant Governor said.
Asked by the interviewer to rate Omar Abdullah Government, Sinha said four months time is too less to make an opinion but he has good liaison with the Government.
As per Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, he said, the powers of both (the Lieutenant Governor and the elected Government) are clearly defined.
“They (the Government) have their powers. We have our own powers and rights. Together we can take Jammu and Kashmir further towards development.
During past five-six years, economy of J&K has improved. The economy has doubled since 2017. Per Capita Income has also gone up. Jammu and Kashmir Bank was in Rs 1200 crore losses and now it has shown Rs 1700 crore worth profits. There has been a good turnaround in five years,’’ Sinha said.
He said the train to Kashmir which is going to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will further boost development in Jammu and Kashmir and improve connectivity.
Responding to a question on return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Kashmir valley, Sinha said most of the issues of Kashmiri migrants have been addressed and they will return to their homes when there is a peace in the Valley.
“Hopefully, we will see the day soon when Kashmiri Pandits will live in their homes in the Valley,’’ he added.
Rejecting the notion by certain politicians that peace has been “forced’’ in Kashmir, the Lieutenant Governor said there would have been no shooting of movies by Bollywood and Hollywood had the peace been forced.
“There would have been no Muharram procession, cinema halls won’t have been running, tourists won’t have been coming in large numbers and there would have been no industruial investments if there was no permanent peace,’’ he said.
Sinha said this is the Government of India’s policy to establish permanent peace in Jammu and Kashmir and there has been success to great extent during last five years. “Stone pelting has become a history. Business is running as usual. Educational institutions are functioning normally. Youth have aspirations like the country’’.
However, the LG said, when there is a peace in Jammu and Kashmir the neighbor (a reference towards Pakistan) gets, pain. Peaceful Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in J&K which were appreciated across the country and globally haven’t gone well with the neighbor, he added and said no top commanders of the terrorists is surviving and there has been lowest ever recruitment of local terrorists.
“People can be seen walking along the banks of river Jhelum till late in the night. If people feel there is a normalcy, that’s good. For politicians, there can be political compulsions to give statements. People now want peace to persist. All this is possible because of the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and whole of Government approach,’’ Sinha said.
On opposition by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti to termination of Government employees, the Lieutenant Governor said the process will go on after identification of employees and preparation of dossiers against them.
He said the Government has given 40,000 jobs in most transparent manner and on the basis of merit.
