Kashmir Nearly Lost: Ex Union HM

SRINAGAR: Former Union Minister P Chidambaram on Friday said that he had a sinking feeling that India has nearly lost Kashmir because New Delhi used brute force to quell dissent there during 2016 uprising triggered by July 8 killing of popular Hizbul Mujahideen commander – Burhan Wani.

Chidambaram said that he feared the situation would worsen if the Union government did not take up course correction like what was done by the Cabinet Committee on security in 2010, The Hindu reported.

Addressing a meeting organised by Manthan – a public discourse platform – he said that the graph of violence rapidly declined after that, but it grew at an alarming rate now.

He said that seven million persons of Kashmir valley felt alienated by the oppressive methods of the Indian government, which was a “terrible” mistake.

“The statement of Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat that anyone who interfered with defence operations would be treated as anti-national was the last straw,” the report quoted Chidambaram as saying.

Chidambaram’s Statement Anti-national: Centre

Terming the former union home minister’s comment on Kashmir issue wherein he questioned the union government’s Kashmir policy as “shocking”, union minister, Venkaiah Naidu, on Saturday said that his comments were “irresponsible and borders on anti-national tone”.

The union minister for Information and Broadcasting has also castigated former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah saying, “after losing power, Abdullah has changed his ‘tune and tone’.”

Naidu criticised the former chief minister of being hypocritical and opportunistic in his criticism towards the centre. He said, “Its opportunistic double talk.”

Taking a jibe at the Congress, Naidu said that after losing power, Congress and its allies had become like ‘fish out of water’.

Naidu’s attack on the Congress comes after P Chidambaram, while addressing a meeting organised by Manthan in Hyderabad on Friday, told the reporters he had a sinking feeling that Kashmir was nearly lost for India because the union government used brute force to quell dissent there. Manthan is a public discourse platform.

Chidambaram further added that he feared the situation would worsen if the BJP-lead NDA government did not make a course correction in framing their policies for Kashmir, the same ways th e Cabinet Committee on security did, back in 2010.

‘Calling PC Anti-national Proves India’s Frustration’

Independent lawmaker, Er Rasheed, on Saturday said that the “false propaganda” of Indian state seems to have lost weight and ground.

Addressing various meeting in Handwara today, Rasheed said, “P Chidambaram has told half truth by saying that India has almost lost Kashmir as the fact is that India had never control on Kashmir and has always ruled the state through the barrel of the gun. There can be nothing more surprising than the fact that union Minister Venkaiah Naidu has called P Chidambaram also as an anti-national for his confessions to truth and it proves how weak is India’s stand on Kashmir.’
“It is ironical that to counter P Chidambaram’s confession, Venkaiah Naidu gave a laughing excuse that Kashmiri Muslims in a temple in Srinagar greeted best wishes to their Hindu brothers on eve of Maha Shivratri and cited this as an argument to prove that Kashmiris are with India. There can be no such stupid and cheap argument than what Venkaiah Naidu has produced to prove that J&K is India’s Integral part. Venkaiah Naidu needs to remind that Kashmiri Muslims had always respect for other communities and political dispute has nothing to do with offering greetings to anyone,” he added.

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