`Pak Currency’ slogan a mere election trend: Prof Soz
By Reyaz Ahmed, NAK,
Handwara : President Pardesh Congress and Union Minter of state for water resources, Prof Saifuddin Soz on Saturday said that he would take up the matter of unidentified graves with defence Minster A K Antony so that the facts could be brought before public.
Addressing a public rally at Chinar Park Prof Soz said that talks between India and Pakistan regarding Kashmir issue is on and dialogue on other issues would be resumed so that further confidence-building measures can be carried.
Prof Soz said, “Dialogue is the only way to resolve Kashmir issue and Confidence Building Measures would pave way ahead for better relations”. Adding he said that long list of Kashmir-related CBMs was under consideration of the centre but he could not reveal the measures in the pipeline in advance because the parliament was in session.
“The steps will become clear in the near future and I can assure that such CBMs will be announced as you and I cannot even conceive of today,” he said.
Regarding the unemployment issue Soz said, “Congress has always tried to solve the grave problem of unemployment in state and new employment drive has already been lunched.”
Terming the Mufti Mohmmed Sayeed’s Pakistan currency proposal an election trend to strengthen vote bank, Soz said, “Implementation of Pakistani currency is impossible as other states of India will not accept it”.
He said that both Indian and Pakistani governments give primacy to moving forward, while the Congress-led government at the centre was engaged in efforts to ensure development alongside peace.
Lauding the chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Prof Soz said that the Azad-led government had achieved new milestones in development, while developmental work had been done under Mufti Muhammad Sayeed also.
He said that the state had abundant water resources and efforts were underway to safeguard them.
According to Prof Soz, the river Jhelum would be cleaned from Kahanabal to Khadanyar and its banks freed of all encroachments.
“Water transport will start playing in the Jhelum, and it will be available to the people within a short period of time,” he said.
The union minister announced a package of Rs 19 cores for the drainage system and other developmental works in the locality.
He also said that several centrally sponsored schemes would be introduced in Hardware and its adjacent areas besides providing basic facilities.