NVI Special Correspondent
Jammu, Sep 19 (NVI): Union Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today took a strong note of the Pakistan defence minister Khawja Asif’s statement that the neighbouring country was on a same page with National Conference and Congress, stating that the “cat is finally out of the bag.”
Dr Singh said NC and Congress stands exposed for running the Pakistan’s agenda in Kashmir and that these parties should be tried for treason and sedition.
Addressing a press conference in Jammu, MoS PMO Dr Singh said BJP’s stand and assertions in the over 30 years stand vindicated. “We had been stating that Kashmir’s so-called political mainstream parties are following Pakistan’s agenda in Kashmir. Today, the cat is out the bag and the Pakistan’s defence minister has categorically admitted that Pakistan was on the same page what Congress and NC are about Article 370,” he said.
Triggering a major controversy, in an interview to Geo News, Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif claimed that the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government and the Congress-National Conference alliance in Jammu and Kashmir “are on the same page” on the issue of the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A in the erstwhile state. The statement came at a time when J&K is witnessing polls.
The MoS PMO said prior to 1980’s, the then tallest leader of NC Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah would frequently visit Pakistan. “After his death, his son Dr Farooq Abdullah followed suit. After 1987 polls, Dr Farooq is on record asking party cadre to go to Pakistan for arms training. We also remember that hartal and boycott calls would come from Pakistan. Why would Pakistan issue hartal calls for Kashmir,” Dr Singh asked, adding that “Things are clear enough now after Pakistan’s defence minister’s statement.”
He said that Dr Farooq would often meet Amanulllah Khan (the founder of JKLF) in Pakistan. “Khan was so called pioneer of Azadi,” Dr Singh said. “Now things are clear why polling would register very less turnout. This was to pave way for NC-Congress candidates win and carry on their rule generation after generations. This is how things were happening in Kashmir for the past 30 years.”
Dr Singh said BJP had been stating that militancy and mainstream political parties had a nexus. “This nexus was to sustain the family rule generation after generation,” he said.
He said now that it stands clear who was calling shots in Kashmir in connivance with the mainstream parties, BJP advocates that NC and Congress should be tried for “sedition and treason” for being on the same page with Pakistan.
Dr Singh said BJP will not allow to see J&K going back to what it was six years ago. “Today, Kashmiri youth are scripting their new future and we will not allow Kashmir to go back to what it was prior to 2014,” he said. (News Vibes of India)