This & That Kashmir Debate Sparks Uproar in Assembly, Omar Abdullah Says ‘China, Not Pakistan, Behind Development in PoK
Jammu, Mar 4, KNT: A political storm erupted in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday after a National Conference legislator claimed that facilities in areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir near the Keran sector in Kupwara were better than those on the Indian side. The remarks triggered a strong reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which demanded that they be expunged from the Assembly records.
The NC MLA from Trehgam Saifullah Mir made the statement while raising supplementary questions during the question hour. Objecting strongly, BJP legislator RS Pathania stood up and called for the remarks to be struck off the records, arguing that they presented a misleading comparison and undermined India’s infrastructure efforts in border regions.
As tempers flared between BJP and NC legislators, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah intervened, offering his perspective on the development seen in PoK. He acknowledged that infrastructure appeared more advanced on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC) but attributed it to Chinese investment rather than efforts by Pakistan.
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“We must acknowledge that while development in our border areas has been limited, there has been a deliberate attempt to showcase progress in PoK. However, this so-called development is not Pakistan’s doing—it is China that has played a role in it,” Omar Abdullah stated.
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He further asserted that, unlike PoK, India had not sought foreign assistance for infrastructure projects in its border regions. Dismissing the perception of prosperity across the LoC, the Chief Minister remarked, “They dressed people in coats to create the illusion of development. But in reality, the pockets of those coats are empty.” [KNT]
