Srinagar 30 July (KNS): Senior vice president of Peoples Conference (PC) and Former Minister  Abdul Gani Vakil today said that the claims of Government on different occassions about rapid development, creation of employment opportunities and improvement in security scenario only exists in statements and papers. Vakil said that these claims are "totally false" and has nothing to do with reality.

 

Statement issued to Kashmir News Service, "Abrogation of Article 370 is about to complete two years, promises made by Government of India (GoI) proved to be a mirage and claims hoax,"  "Instead of winning the hearts of people of J&K, GoI demoted the erstwhile state in two union territories, humiliating the people."

 

Vakil said that if violence had really come down and the security scenario improved, why administration failed to stop gunfights and increase in militancy.

 

"The Prime Minister and the Home Minister gave a commitment to the nation especially to the people of J&K on many occassions of granting back statehood to J&K but still nothing has been done in this direction," he said in the statement. "If GoI is sincere in granting back statehood to J&K then it should fulfill its commitment without any further delay. Mr. Vakil was addressing party workers in Nowpora Rafiabad today. 

 

Vakil also questioned the government over its claims of job creation and investments in the region when Article 370 was revoked.

 

"The reality is that lakhs of people have lost their jobs due to the uncertainty, lockdowns and two major industries of the State fruit and tourism are at the verge of collapse which used to provide livelihood to lakhs of people of the state.  Forget about creating new employment opportunities, thousands of daily-wagers, casual labourers, scheme workers and others have been denied wages for months together not to speak of their regularization," he said in the statement.

 

Vakil said that the only thing that the revocation of Article 370 had achieved so far was a complete "abrogation of democracy" in J&K and an "unconscionable suppression of civil and democratic rights", and "zero development" on the ground and no major work done since removal of Article 370.(KNS)