“Development facilitated by China”: CM Omar after BJP-NC spar over PoK remarks

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that the development seen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is primarily driven by China, with no significant role played by the Pakistan government in its progress. Speaking in the Assembly, Omar Abdullah, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), made the statement after a verbal exchange between members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Conference over the condition of border areas in the region. “We have to accept that while there is limited development in our frontier areas, on the other side, there have been deliberate attempts to showcase progress. However, this so-called development was facilitated by China, not Pakistan,” he said.  He said that India has not sought assistance from any foreign country for infrastructure development in border regions. Criticising the portrayal of growth in PoK, he remarked, “They (PoK) made people wear coats to create the facade of development. However, in reality, the pockets of those coats are empty,” he said—(KNO)