Jammu: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday (August 18) said after the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, people should now pray for the integration of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) with India in their lifetime.

"We are lucky that it (revoking of the special status) happened in our lifetime. It is because of the sacrifices of our three generations," Singh said addressing a meet on the current socio-political milieu in Jammu and Kashmir, organised by the state BJP at party headquarters in Jammu.

He said, "After this historic step, let us move forward with a positive thinking of freeing PoK from the illegal occupation of Pakistan and making it an integral part of the country in accordance with the unanimously passed resolution in Parliament (in 1994)."

"Let us pray that we see the integration of PoK with the country and people freely visit Muzaffarabad (capital of PoK)," he added.

Speaking about Article 370, he said some people were frustrated because they had created a narrative in the country that no power could abolish the special status being enjoyed by Jammu and Kashmir.

"We did it...Article 370 was a miscarriage of history and perhaps the gravest blunder in post-independence India, "he said, adding that it led to the lack of development and discrimination within regions but also a "psychological isolation that created mental barriers".

"Former Prime Minister AB Vajpayee talked about insaniyat (humanity), jamhuriyat (democracy), kashmiriyat to restore peace in Jammu and Kashmir. By this move, we have restored jamhuriyat (democracy) and have done the necessary course correction to pave a way for inasaniyat and kashmiriyat," Singh said.

Singh added that in the 1996 assembly elections after several years of the governor's and president's rule in the state, the chief minister (Farooq Abdullah) was brought from abroad.

“National Conference betrayed its own people and was not faithful to the Articles 370 and 35-A. Otherwise, they would not have brought so many amendments over the years in collaboration with the Congress at the Centre," he added.

The minister also allayed the apprehensions that people from outside would come and grab government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Some fringe elements have an agenda. We should not pay heed to their argument. Whatever had happened, nobody had ever imagined," he said