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Modi has destroyed tourism in the Valley: MS Aiyar
May 26, 2017
After coming under fire for having a dialogue with Hurriyat leaders,
Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Friday asserted that it was
conveyed to him that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message that 'terror
and tourism cannot go together' has ruined tourism industries in Jammu
and Kashmir this year.
Speaking to ANI, Aiyar said, "The
tour operators of the Valley were present in the meeting with the
Hurriyat leaders and they told me that Modi's message that terror and
tourism cannot go together has ruined tourism industries in this Valley
this year. He has inflicted untold harm by going around proclaiming that
the Valley has nothing to offer but terror."
Talking about his
meeting, the senior Congress leader further said that now he was more
convinced that the situation in the Valley is extremely grave and that
corrective actions need to be taken sooner than later, otherwise much
bigger problems will surface.
In an effort to resume dialogue
with the stakeholders in Kashmir, five-member delegation led by Aiyar
yesterday called on moderate Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and
discussed ways to calm down the protestors.
The delegation
discussed the prevailing situation in the Valley and the necessary steps
to be initiated for bringing peace in Kashmir, which has been marred by
violent protests since July 2016.
Considering the situation very
critical where students and youth have joined the protests, Aiyar
insisted that the Central Government should hold dialogue with all the
stakeholders in Kashmir as it would bring enduring solutions by bringing
peace in the Valley as well as reduce tensions between India and
Pakistan.
Aiyar also showed his willingness to meet the pro-independence JKLF chief Yasin Malik, but he refused to meet the delegation.
The
meetings with Hurriyat leaders assume significance after the group
insisted that the Central Government should hold talks with Pakistan
including separatists for resolution of the Kashmir issue.
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