Srinagar: The situation in J&K is peaceful and traffic and movement of people will be eased after August 15, governor

Satya Pal Malik

tells Aarti Tikoo

Singh & Rohan Dua. He also says talk of home minister

Amit Shah

unfurling the national flag at

Lal Chowk

is just a rumour.

It’s been 11 days after reorganisation of J&K. How do you feel after Friday prayers and Eid?

Rahul Gandhi

has taken you up on your invite to visit the Valley.

There is speculation that Amit Shah may unfurl the national flag at Lal Chowk on Independence Day.

The Centre announced that J&K will host its first investors’ summit in October.

Friday prayers and Eid have passed. Any plans to ease restrictions?

Critics say these restrictions have paralysed communication between people.

How are you going to win the hearts and minds of Kashmiris?

Do old development plans stay the course?

I am very satisfied and thankful to the people of Jammu and Kashmir . People who have seen the situation here in the past will agree. More than 40 people were killed in just one week after Burhan Wani’s killing in 2016. Lot of bloodshed had taken place on similar occasions. But this time, not even a ‘danda’ has been used by the police, except in the case when pellets had to be fired to restrain four boys who were doing intensive stone-throwing. They have got injuries in their legs; no firing, no lathicharge and no tear gas shelling.Basically, he was ill-informed and he was talking on the basis of propaganda from across the border. So, I asked him to come and see for himself. But he has put conditions for his visit — he wants to come with a delegation; then, he wants to meet the detained politicians. Is it possible? I never invited him with these conditions. So the invitation is withdrawn. In the last week, 20 Indian TV news channels were here. He should talk to them, find out about the situation from them and educate himself.Read also: Won’t intervene on Kashmir for now, SC saysIt is an absurd rumour. Home minister doesn’t have that sort of a thing in mind. Lal Chowk is not Lal Qila, Lal Chowk is a place with its own sanctity in the city. But we can’t make a political statement by unfurling the flag there.When I first came here, I talked to many friends in Srinagar . People in the hotel and tourism business suggested that we must do this (host the summit) to bring prosperity to J&K. So here it is. Now, in the changed scenario, a lot of people have said they will come to invest. Reliance Group chairman Mukesh Ambani has said he will invest in Kashmir and Ladakh. I have got a message from industrialist Sanjay Dalmia that he wants to invest in the education sector to help with job creation in both the UTs. He has shared this with the PM too. Then, B K Modi of Continental Tyres told me about his investment plans. If October’s investors’ summit succeeds, the face of J&K will change.We will ease traffic and movement of people after August 15. As far as telephone and internet are concerned, in Kashmir, these are weapons of the enemy — the people who want to disturb peace, who want to indoctrinate the younger generation, misguide and mobilise them and Pakistan , they all use that instrument. So we don’t want to give that instrument into the hands of the enemy until and unless things settle down. In a week or 10 days, everything will be all right and we will gradually open lines of communication.One has to decide what is more important. For us, life of citizens is far more important. We want this phase to pass without any casualty, without any violence and injuries to anybody. So talking and communicating on phone or internet is not the life of society. The life of society is that it lives peacefully. We have done this for peace and security of society.After August 15, we will run a media blitz, we will take out advertisements in all newspapers in three languages — Urdu, Hindi and English — explaining the benefits of reorganisation of the state and creation of UTs. We are opening recruitment to Army, BSF, CRPF, police and government. I have already asked my chief secretary to give me the exact number of vacancies available at the moment. We will recruit youth on the basis of their marksheets and without any interviews.We set up 52 colleges. In the next two months, we are setting up another 15. We have elevated 238 junior high schools to higher secondary level. We have started work on AIIMS in Pulwama and IITs and are are training 800 doctors. We have allocated Rs 200 crore for Kargil airport.Read this story in Marathi