Jammu, Mar 6 (UNI) Reacting to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement that Pakistan vacating Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) would resolve the Kashmir issue in its entirety, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that Kargil was an opportunity to get back the part of POJK but who is stopping the government now from getting it back?
“Who is stopping the Government of India from taking back the Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK)?” Abdullah questioned while speaking during the Motion of Thanks on Lieutenant Governor’s address in the House in the ongoing Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly here.
“Maharaja Hari Singh gave you a map of Jammu and Kashmir as inheritance and part of it is with Pakistan, Okay, fine and the Foreign Minister has said that we will get it back. Who has stopped you?” Abdullah said.
“We did not stop you. We always said bring it back if you want to,” he said adding, “During the Kargil war, you had a chance to take POJK back, but you failed and if you could not make it at that time, you bring it now, who is stopping you? We are not objecting to it?”
“But if you see the map of Jammu and Kashmir, one part is with Pakistan, but one part is also with China,” said Abdullah while taking a dig at the Government of India.
“Why doesn’t the BJP government talk about taking back Jammu and Kashmir occupied by China? Why no mention is made anywhere on that part,” he said, adding, “whenever you bring it back, do us a favour, bring back both the occupied parts.”
“Let’s forget about the occupied parts, but you also divided the map of Maharaja Sahib into two parts. You separated Ladakh and claimed that the people of Ladakh wanted that. Did you ever ask them? People of Kargil never supported this decision. Even those who celebrated August 5, 2019 and distributed sweets, at present realise that their conditions were much better in the erstwhile state,” he asserted.
Maharaja in inheritance left State Subject Laws, where are those laws, he said adding, “What rights do you have on your lands and jobs. Himachal Pradesh is in much better condition with maximum percentage of local recruitment in factories, industries and hotels.”
“We did not make any changes in Maharaja’s laws in our tenure. Quote me a single example if we had changed the names of parks, roads, and other buildings,” he said.
However, targeting the BJP, Abdullah also said, “BJP members insulted the martyrs of July 13, 1931. 22 people sacrificed their lives for democracy. The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was established due to their sacrifice but BJP insulted them just because they were Muslims.”
