Bring back not only PoK but also J&K’s part under China’s occupation: Omar
Jaishankar, speaking during a session at the Chatham House think-tank in London on Wednesday, said the Kashmir dispute would be solved after the “return of the stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation”.
Reacting to Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s recent remarks in London, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister (CM) Omar Abdullah said they would be grateful to the BJP-led government if alongside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) it also retrieves the part of the Union Territory (UT) under illegal occupation of China.
Jaishankar, speaking during a session at the Chatham House think-tank in London on Wednesday, said the Kashmir dispute would be solved after the “return of the stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation”.
“The foreign minister (S Jaishankar) is saying that we will get back the part of J&K which is under the occupation of Pakistan. Who has stopped them? Have we ever said that do not get it back?” the CM said. Omar further said, “Foreign minister has said that they will bring back the portion of Kashmir (controlled by Pakistan). Did we ever stop them? If you (Central govt) can bring it back, then do it now. One portion is with Pakistan, but another portion is with China, why doesn’t anyone talk about that?..”
He also targeted BJP leaders for accusing the National Conference (NC) of insulting Jammu and Kashmir’s last ruler Maharaja Hari Singh while winding up the discussion on motion of thanks to Lt governor Manoj Sinha’s address in the assembly.
“In my government, or my father’s government, the Congress-NC or Congress-PDP coalition governments, did we ever change the names of prominent places in the name of erstwhile Maharaja sahib. Be it SMHS hospital, SMGS hospital, Pratap Park, all have the same name. The biggest legacy of Maharaja was the J&K state. What have you done to this state,” Omar said.
Omar said that it’s BJP that has insulted Maharaja by changing his laws of state. “And you (BJP) blame us for insulting Maharaja. It’s you (BJP) who have insulted erstwhile Maharaja of J&K.”
Speaking on the issue of BJP legislators targeting Congress for leaving HajiPeer to Pakistan, Omar said “During the Kargil war, there was an opportunity to get back PoK because it was Pakistan which attacked us. If you were so willing, you would have brought back that part but what stopped you?”
Omar said leave the part that is with Pakistan or China, get the map of J&K which was bifurcated, united. “Did you ask people of Ladakh before bifurcation from J&K. “From day one , the people of Kargil were against this decision. Today most of the people in Ladakh, especially Buddhists , are against this bifurcation. Even those people who distributed sweets when J&K was bifurcated today accept that people were better off when J&K was a full-fledged state. The people came on foot from Leh to Delhi seeking their rights, he said.
Omar said even another legacy of Maharaja state subject law that our land has our own rights, what happened to those laws, where are those laws now. “Today anybody can snatch our land from us. Even our government jobs aren’t safe. Himachal Pradesh is even better than us. Even if any hotel or factory is established in Himachal Pradesh, 70% locals are bound to get jobs. Do we have such laws here,” Omar asked BJP legislators.
