No compromise on territorial integrity of J&K: MoS PMO

New Delhi, Sep 23: There can be no compromise on territorial integrity of Jammu and Kashmir which is an integral part of the country, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said here today.

"There can be no compromise on the territorial integrity of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and if, at all, there is any outstanding issue with Pakistan in the context of J&K, it is only that of how to retrieve back the Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) or the part of the state which continues to remain under illegal occupation of Pakistan even after 68 years of independence," he said.

Singh, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office, said that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and this is a national consensus which acquired constitutional validity in 1994 when the Parliament of India passed an all-party unanimous resolution to this effect.

Unfortunately, in certain sections, there is always a tendency to rake up settled issues or to reopen closed chapters, he said in a function organised by Jammu and Kashmir People's Forum to commemorate the birth anniversary of Late Maharaja Hari Singh.

"As far as Jammu & Kashmir is concerned, it continues to be and will always remain an essential part of the Indian Union and there is just no room for any further debate or discussion on the subject," the Minister, a Lok Sabha MP from the state's Udhampur constituency, was quoted in a press release issued by his office.

Paying rich tributes to Maharaja Hari Singh, the minister described him as a ruler who, despite being a dynastic monarch, conducted himself in an extraordinary democratic manner and laid the foundation for all-round development of the state, whether it was education or health sector, regardless of any religious or regional considerations.

Equitable growth of all the three regions of the state -- Jammu, kashmir and Ladakh -- was best exemplified during Hari Singh's reign and this is something that deserves to be emulated even today, he said.

Ajatshatru Singh, Member of Legislative Council of state and grandson of Maharaja Hari Singh, presided over the function.

PTI