Media hardly pointed out that Art 370 was only 'temporary' provision: Jaishankar
New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday expressed surprise that most media reports especially the international ones have never referred to the fact that Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir was only a 'temporary' arrangement.
"I have very rarely seen a story from anybody that brings out the fact that Article 370 was a temporary provision. In fact, it will be interesting...all of you can google this and see," said Dr Jaishankar at a press conference organised to highlight the achievements of the Ministry of External Affairs in the first 100 days of the Modi Government since returning to power.
"How many people have actually reported that (Article 370 was only a temporary provision)," he said answering a question.
The Minister maintained that somewhere that is the 'heart' of the issue.
"Similarly, it has been assumed that we did something on August fifth which terribly complicated the situation," he said adding that means there was an assumption that things were normal earlier.
"People are entitled to have their views, people like me are entitled to have views on their views," Dr Jaishankar said.
Earlier, he said there was a sense of 'separatism' in the state as the existing system prevalent with Article 370 often deprived people of their rights.
"I don't see the word 'temporary' provision in media articles, but when you tell people that Article 370 was a temporary provision and meaning of the word temporary is that it has to 'come to an end,'" Dr Jaishankar said.
"The lack of development was feeding separatism and that separatism has been actually utilized by Pakistan to carry out cross border terrorism," he said, adding when things are explained properly in details in diplomatic fora, most people 'understand' the logic of Modi government's actions.
On September 12, MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar also had lashed out at a section of foreign media for what he said "motivated stories" about J&K and insisted that the perceived controlled kind of situation in one police station area has been shown as that of the entire Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh regions.
"There are also lot of motivated stories especially in the international press....," Mr Kumar told reporters during a weekly briefing.
"At least 92 per cent of the areas of Jammu & Kashmir have no restrictions. Earlier, restrictions had been imposed by local administration in some parts to maintain law and order. Some day time restrictions remain in only 11 of the total 199 Police Stations," he has said, adding "you all must have seen a report in a section of foreign press where they have tried to project the situation under one police station in Srinagar as what is going on in J&K and Ladakh."
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