NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday ruled out any dialogue with Pakistan as well as the Hurriyat Conference, but said the government can hold talks with the youth of the Kashmir valley.
Intervening in the debate on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, Shah also said that the now-scrapped Article 370 was the result of the alleged wrong policy of the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the historic decision to completely merge Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the country after abrogating the Article 370, he said.
“We will neither hold talks with the Hurriyat, nor with the Jamiat nor with Pakistan. We will hold talks only with the youth of the Valley,” he said.
The home minister said over 40,000 people lost lives in Jammu and Kashmir due to terrorism but the situation improved to a great extent after Article 370, which gave the erstwhile state special status, was abrogated.
Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019 and the erstwhile state was divided into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Shah said the Modi government has ended the practice of darbar move, abolished the Lakhanpur toll tax and worked for the development of Dalits and Adivasis living in Jammu and Kashmir and gave sanitation workers their rights.
He said cinema halls were opened in Kashmir after 33 years and night shows and Shikara festival began too.
The home minister said stone-pelting has become a history and temples in Jammu and Kashmir have been given protection.
