In what could embarrass the ministry of external affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, the whistleblower website WikiLeaks quotes Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah accusing the ministry of "shooting down" proposals put forth during 2005 to resolve the Kashmir issue.
"According to (Omar) Abdullah, Islamabad has gone farther than Delhi in recent years in changing their stance, and it is now time for the Indian Prime Minister to start thinking 'outside the box'. He (Abdullah) proffered that each time there is a new proposal, the MEA is the first to 'shoot it down', demonstrating that the GOI is quite content with the status quo," Republican congressman Don Burton quotes the chief minister in a cable released in 2005.
Burton, vice-chairman of the House International Relations Committee on Asia Pacific, headed a Congressional Delegation in 2005 to the sub-continent and met Abdullah and several separatist leaders.
The cable claims Abdullah, then a member of Parliament and National Conference president, said "he discounted the claims that the GOI (Government of India) has a road map for Jammu & Kashmir, commenting that, as the leader of the party dedicated to finding a solution within the Indian constitution, he should be shown such a plan were it to exist".
According to the cable, Abdullah told Burton that improvements often listed by Jammu & Kashmir watchers, such as holding sporting and cultural events, have not really benefited the people in the Valley.
{{/usCountry}}According to the cable, Abdullah told Burton that improvements often listed by Jammu & Kashmir watchers, such as holding sporting and cultural events, have not really benefited the people in the Valley.
{{/usCountry}}"A solution will not be found because India and Pakistan want a solution, it will be because the rest of the world will demand it," Abdullah is quoted in the cable.
Burton noted in the cable that he intended to raise these points in upcoming meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.