A delegation of Kashmiri Samiti Delhi (Regd.) today met Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh and hailed the decision taken by the Modi Government to abrogate Article 370. The members of the delegation, led by its President Sumeer Chrungoo, also handed over to the Minister a formal letter of appreciation, expressing the joy and satisfaction of the entire Kashmiri Pandit community for, what they described as, making the idea of “Akhand Bharat” a reality by revoking Article 370. They said, this act of the Modi Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, will be written in history with golden words. The members of the delegation also sought to draw the attention of Dr Jitendra Singh towards the issue of safety and security of the Kashmiri Pandit employees who are serving in the Valley and are lodged in various government accommodations. Dr Jitendra Singh assured the representatives of the Kashmiri Pandit community that, as he had also mentioned on the floor of the Parliament, Kashmiri Pandits are amongst the major stakeholders in Kashmir and those who tend to underplay this fact, have a vested interest in promoting the political interest of a handful few with separatist or semi-separatist leanings. He said, as long as Kashmir is an integral part of India, each of the 130 crore citizens of India is a stakeholder in Kashmir. Reassuring the delegation about normalcy steadily returning in the Valley, Dr Jitendra Singh said, such restrictions are imposed every year on the eve of Independence Day and there is nothing unusual about it. He recalled that in the mid-1990s, when the mobile service was introduced for the first time in India, it was the Congress supported governments which decided to deny this service in Jammu & Kashmir, and was later introduced by the Vajpayee Government in 2008.
