Indo-Pak Jingoism Displayed on TV Does Not Project a Good Picture: Mehbooba

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said jingoism displayed by Indian and Pakistani panelists during debates on TV news channels does not project a good picture of the country in the minds of the youths of the state.

"With the exposure, our children come to know about the country and the image which they see on television with people with a beard from the other side and people with mustaches on our side that is what we see on TV and somewhere they sandwich us in between," she said addressing a function.

She said that in the fight between Pakistan and India on TV debates, they make people of Jammu and Kashmir a sandwich.

"...that does not present a good picture of our country which our people and our children see. But when they go out and meet people and the way the people treat them and everything changes for good," she said.

She said that there should be more and more interaction between the people of Jammu region with the people of Kashmir and also with the rest of the country.

"I feel there should be an interaction between our children.

People should get the chance to meet each other, to interact with each other. Dialogue is the essence of our party, my father (Late CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) was an advocate of dialogue, he used to say that we should first hold dialogue amongst ourselves," she said.

Chairing the governing body meet of Sainik School, Manasbal here, the chief minister said, "We need to be sensitive to the needs of not only the students but the teachers as well. Teachers need to be given training and refresher courses on periodic basis."

Appreciating the efforts of the education department in improving educational standards in the state, she said it should be sensitive towards teachers and try to make them role models for the students, in whichever way possible.

She advised students to actively participate in cultural activities and sports besides academics.

She also inaugurated a Teachers' Bhavan and an auditorium at Gandhi Nagar. Built at a cost of over Rs 13.50 crore, the facilities would be used for teachers training.