Pakistan pained to see democracy flourishing in J&K: Rajnath

PTI Poonch (J&K): Defence minister Rajnath Singh lauded the people of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday for overwhelmingly taking part in the first phase of polling in the Assembly election on September 18 and said Pakistan is feeling “pain in its belly” watching democracy flourishing in the Union Territory after the abrogation of Article 370. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader accused the National Conference (NC), Congress and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of misleading people by talking about the restoration of Article 370 of the Constitution in their manifestoes and said these parties should stop working as “proxies of Pakistan”. “The first phase of the Assembly election registered more than 61 per cent polling, the highest in 30 years and surpassing the record-breaking 58 per cent polling in the Lok Sabha election.

The message has gone to the world that Article 370 was abrogated for the betterment of India. “ People have raised the flag of democracy so high that Pakistan is feeling pain in its belly. We do not want enmity with Pakistan as we want good relations with all our neighbours. Pakistan keeps doing unholy things against India to divert the attention of its people from its internal problems,” Singh said, addressing a poll rally in support of BJP candidate Choudhary Abdul Gani here. Referring to a reported statement of Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that his country and the NCCongress alliance are on the same page over restoration of Article 370, Singh wondered who has given the authority to the neighbouring country to interfere in Jammu and Kashmir’s internal matters.

“I want to ask my friends in the NC, Congress and PDP, are you fighting elections as proxies of Pakistan?” he asked. The defence minister said people in Pakistan occupied Kashmi r (PoK) are distressed and want to join India. “They are witnessing the change in Jammu and Kashmir and India’s progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. They are considering joining India for their prosperity and they no longer want to live with them (Pakistan),” he said, adding that India has never differentiated among people on the basis of religion and considered the PoK residents as “our own”.

Referring to a statement of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee “hum dost badal sakte hai, humsaaye nahi (we can change friends but not neighbours)” Singh said if Pakistan treads the right path, India is willing to have good relations with all its neighbours. “We should not forget the words of Vajpayee,” he added. “The NC, Congress and PDP are making a lot of noise over Article 370 and have promised to restore it. How will you restore it as only a government at the Centre has the power to do so?” Singh asked.