Giving packages to J&K is a sign of weakness: Bitta

Any special package for the state would be a useless waste of money. Lavishing more and more money on Kashmir had in fact created the present problem,he said,adding that mollycoddling was not the way to bring the Kashmiris into the mainstream.

“Giving more and more packages is a sign of weakness and the centre should not concede this demand,” Bitta said.

He felt that the central and state governments were more worried about rehabilitating the militants than providing relief to the Kashmiri pandits languishing outside the state after being driven out from the Valley decades ago.

He saw the hand of Pakistan behind the continuing violence in the Valley saying this was part of the conspiracy to separate Kashmir from India.

Bitta disapproved of the India-Pakistan talks and the visits of senior government ministers to Pakistan. This he said was a sign of weakness in dealing with a country which was acknowledged as a nursery for international terrorism.

“Instead India should press USA,UK and Russia to declare Pakistan a terrorist state,” he added.