S Jaishankar says development in J&K will end Pak's 70 years' plans

Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar said that once investments kick in Jammu and Kashmir and developments begin, Pakistan's 70-year issues against state would come to thing.  MEA was speaking at  Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a top American think-tank.

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development will bring those in Pak occupied Kashmir to India as well

Jaishankar was asked about revocation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and restrictions which were put in place over state since n. He said, "If we are able to take Jammu and Kashmir to path of development, which is very much possible, day is t far when PoK residents, facing worst situation under occupation of Pakistan, will race towards us on ir own to be part of India".

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Jaishankar also mentioned that restrictions imposed currently are in order to prevent misuse of internet and social media for radicalizing and mobilizing anti-Indian forces and to ensure that loss of life occurs during transition to development phase. He said, "Many of restrictions which have been imposed are precautions to ensure re is loss of life. re is a lot of experience which has gone into that precaution. If you look at events in 2016, for example, we saw how internet and social media was used to radicalize and to mobilize. So obviously, if you're going to walk into this situation, you are t going to let internet be used by people whose intentions are malevolent. I'm t minimizing challenges, but I think intent is really to persevere and to make sure that re are eugh changes on ground so that people's thinking also change accordingly.

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Clear choice for government

Jaishankar also said that choice made by government was clear, "Eir we had more of past policies and prospect of furr radicalization. Or we had a decisive change in landscape and a change of direction towards de-radicalization". Endorsing progress that development will help in boosting ecomy of region, Jaishankar said, " ecomic costs of status quo were visible in absence of entrepreneurship and short of job opportunities. social costs were even starker: in discrimination against women, in lack of protection for juveniles, in refusal to apply affirmative action and in denial of right to information, education and work".

A few days earlier, at an event organized by Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Jaishankar spoke about how  special status was holding state back from progressing and coming at par with rest of country. He said that lack of ecomic activity lead to 'fewer job opportunities, more sense of alienation and separatism and thus a climate for terrorism'.

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