Will talk to Kashmiri youth, not Pakistan or Hurriyat: Amit Shah in Parliament

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the Centre will not hold talks with the Hurriyat, Jamaat or Pakistan, but will speak with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir instead.

Speaking during the no-confidence debate in the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah, said PM Modi had taken an significant decision to bring about a change in Kashmir.

He said that Article 370 was a mistake by the Jawaharlal Nehru government and it was abrogated by this parliament on August 5 and 6, 2019. “With that, two flags and two constitutions have gone from Kashmir and PM Modi ensured its complete integration into the country.”

He said that n NGO inspired by them (Congress) held a meeting recently and released a report stating that the Centre should hold talks with the Hurriyat, Jamaat and Pakistan.

“We will not speak to them. If we hold a discussion, we will hold that with the youth of the Valley. They are our own and we will talk to them,” he said.

He also said that the Lakhanpur toll tax in Kashmir, where party ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee had been arrested in 1953 has been done away with.

Shah said three families had ruled over Kashmir – Muftis, Abdullahs and Gandhis – but did not get panchayat polls conducted, but PM Modi got them held in November-December 2018