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Updated: Sep 15, 2019 17:41 IST

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said that the message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he took charge of the erstwhile state was to make it “shine so much” that the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) would want to come and settle here.

“When I came to take charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister told me that make Jammu and Kashmir shine so much that people of PoK would want to cross the border over to our side and say proudly, this is our Kashmir,” Malik said at a function in Srinagar.

The governor, while at public function on Saturday, said that the “tremendous work” done by him cannot be matched by the elected governments that have served the former state in the past.

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The Jammu and Kashmir Governor said that the Centre was eager to help the people of the region and urged them to come forward with their demands.

“The Central government has given us 8 medical colleges this year alone, which is more than what has been given to any other state in the country. We are soon going to have 4,500 doctors in the state. This is the perfect time for development in the region, I would request the people to keep the pressure on their politicians. Union Home Minister Amit Shahji meeting sarpanch of the villages from the state is a sign that the Centre is standing there with open arms,” Malik said.

Jammu and Kashmir was placed under Governor’s rule last year in June after BJP pulled out of the coalition government with PDP. Months later the state was put under President’s rule.

On August 5, the Centre abrogated Article 370 that granted special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. With the J&K Reorganisation Bill, the Centre has now divided Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

In a televised address to the nation three days after the far reaching decision, PM Modi sought to assuage concerns of the people saying J&K will not remain a union territory for long.

“I want to assure friends of J&K that the situation will gradually return to normalcy and their difficulties will ease,” he said in his address.

The prime minister made a strong defence of scrapping the provisions of Article 370, saying the region’s special status offered it nothing but separatism, terrorism, corruption and family rule, while giving a handle to Pakistan to push its divisive agenda.

(With agency inputs)