Punjab Outlook

Amritsar- Punjab BJP spokesperson Prof. Sarchand Singh Khaila has strongly criticized the inflammatory statement made by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah against Punjabis in Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, in which he said that Maharaja Hari Singh’s state subject law ‘Article 370’ was not meant to protect our Kashmiris but the people of Jammu from the people of Punjab. The BJP leader advised them to refrain from spreading hatred against Punjabis and also slammed the Akali Dal for not paying attention to this conspiracy.
Prof. Sarchand Singh said that the National Conference and Congress party are in power in Jammu and Kashmir and by venting his anger against Punjab and Punjabis, Omar Abdullah has introduced the anti-Punjab and anti-Punjabi thinking of the Congress. Targeting Punjab, the BJP leader raised a question about Abdullah calling Kashmir ‘ours’ and asked if CM Abdullah does not consider Jammu and the people there as ‘his’?
Prof Sarchand Singh said that I thought Omar Abdullah was a man of good thinking and political maturity, but I was proved wrong. Umar’s irresponsible statement also proved his political ineptitude and love for Pakistan. Describing Chief Minister Abdullah as a ‘forsaken person’, the BJP leader said that during the partition of the country, when Pakistan attacked Kashmir by sending tribals with its army, the Indian army that defeated them were mostly people from Punjab and Haryana. Omar Abdullah, who admires Maharaja Hari Singh, must know that his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah had to go to jail several times for opposing the Maharaja’s Quit Kashmir Movement and the dictatorial rule against the Maharaja. Omar Abdullah should not forget that Sheikh Abdullah was not only detained several times by Congress governments, but also exiled from Kashmir.
Prof Sarchand Singh said that history is a witness that Kashmir has been a part of India from the beginning. After four centuries of Islamic rule, in 1819 AD. Kashmir was part of the rule of the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh and remained a Sikh kingdom for a long time under Raja Gulab Singh. After the Anglo-Sikh War of 1845, the British handed over all the hilly areas including Kashmir to Raja Gulab Singh. But at the time of the partition of the country when Raja Hari Singh refused to merge his kingdom with India, the newly formed Pakistan with its camouflaged army and tribals and Pakhtuns invaded Kashmir from Poonch in October 1947 and took control of a large area, which they still occupy today. At that time Raja Hari Singh fled to Jammu, but the Sikhs and Hindus bravely faced the situation. About one lakh Sikhs and Hindus were killed in this tribal Pakistani attack and it is estimated that 70 thousand Sikhs were massacred in Muzaffarnagar alone. When they were diverted towards Rafiabad to protect Srinagar from the invaders, they destroyed the Hindu-Sikh villages on the way. Of course, during this time the Indian army saved the remaining state of Kashmir due to the king’s request for help and the signing of the annexation treaty. However, at that time Kashmir should have been fully and unconditionally incorporated into India. Of course, this mistake of the Congress was rectified by the visionary Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took the historic step of removing Article 370 in August 2019. While earlier there were many challenges for business, tourism and even administration, today Jammu and Kashmir has undergone remarkable changes. Although Pakistan-trained terrorists are still trying to disrupt peace, central forces and security agencies are succeeding in controlling them. Children who used to have stones in their hands now have books in their hands. The life of those who want peace and prosperity is going on normally. Peace and stability in the valley has strengthened the tourism sector, with a record 2.36 crore tourists enjoying the Kashmir Valley during the year 2024. Infrastructure and connectivity through the construction of roads, tunnels and new bridges have strengthened national unity. Many employment opportunities were created and the economy of the state got the right direction and momentum due to the increase in tourism and industry. The change in the law encouraged foreign investors to invest in Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from Punjab and Haryana, Delhi businessmen are also taking initiatives for investment.