Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticized the central government on its Kashmir stance, citing if India is looking for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, it must also speak of Kashmir occupied by China. Abdullah made the statement while participating in a discussion in the Assembly on the motion of thanks to the Lt Governor’s address. Reacting to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent comments in London that the Kashmir row would be settled once PoK is handed back to India, Omar asked him, who held you back? If you are keen on handing it back, hand it back.
While speaking at Chatham House, Jaishankar termed PoK the “stolen part of Kashmir” and assured that its return would mark the closure of the long-standing problem. He also talked about the various government measures, including the revocation of Article 370, which he said strengthened India’s hold on that region, economic initiatives, and electoral participation.
Omar, on the other hand, said that the talk about reclaiming territories should not be selective: When you look at the J&K map, part is with Pakistan and another part with China. Why is there no talk about reclaiming that? In the meantime, the Pakistan Foreign Office dismissed Jaishankar’s remarks and called them baseless. Instead, India should withdraw out of Jammu and Kashmir, which they have illegally occupied for the last 77 years.
He also attacked the BJP for blaming Article 370 for terrorism in J&K, but why has there been an increase in militancy in Jammu post-abrogation? We had cleared the Jammu region of terrorism during my term (2009-2014). We did not witness explosions then. So, if Article 370 was the root cause, why did terrorism increase after its abrogation in 2019?
Referencing the Kargil War, he said: “If you were serious about bringing back PoK, why didn’t you do it then when Pakistan had attacked?” He insisted that if the government is committed to reclaiming lost territories, then it must act now and not just make the issue some political rhetoric only. Omar’s comments question the government on its Kashmir policy calling for a wider debate extending well beyond PoK and demanding accountability of the government’s past and present actions.
Edited By Saumya Sharan
