Don't internationalise Kashmir: BJP

9th oct 2010
NEW DELHI: The BJP has asked Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah not to internationalise Kashmir, which is a domestic issue, by involving Pakistan, when it is not required. While speaking in the state Assembly, Omar had asked the Centre to initiate dialogue with Pakistanis and Kashmiris.
Not sparing the Centre for being proactive ahead of the visit of US President Barack Obama, former BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi wanted the Centre to ask Obama to pressurise Pakistan to stop the export of terror to India.
If that was not enough, Joshi also trained his guns against Union Home Minister P Chidambaram for describing the Kashmir situation as a "unique problem," which required a "unique action."
Joshi wondered if the solution he was referring to was "azaadi." According to him, the Centre should ask Obama to tell Pakistan to dismantle the terror infrastructure. He said that while most of the countries acknowledge that Pakistan is engineering terrorist violence in India, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and others, but nothing has been done to stop Pakistan.
He said, while the US wants its hands off from Afghanistan, it is keen to take the assistance of Pakistan to check Taliban there and that is why it is offering packages to Pakistan. There was a danger of Taliban taking over Pakistan and then even sneaking into India.
Joshi asked Omar to read Article 1 of the Indian Constitution, which clearly includes the State of Jammu and Kashmir at the 15th number in the list of Indian territories. Even Section 3 of J K Constitution states that the state is an "integral part of India."
The BJP leader reminded Omar that all the princely states had acceded to India after signing the Instrument of Accession. That was the laid down procedure. Joshi said that this did not mean that the Instrument of Accession was less important than the merger.
Taking a dig at the Centre, Joshi wondered as to why the UPA Government was so keen to talk to the separatists and not to the majority of people in the Valley, who were keen to be part of India.