Political nature of Kashmir issue cannot be undermined: Senior CPM leader Tarigami
By PTI | Published: 11th March 2018 07:56 PM |
Last Updated: 11th March 2018 08:52 PM | A+A A- |
An paramilitary soldier, center, asks a Kashmiri civilian to turn back at a temporary checkpoint during restrictions in Srinagar. | AP
JAMMU: Senior CPI(M) leader and MLA M Y Tarigami today said the problem of Jammu and Kashmir has been there since the accession of the state to the Indian union and its political nature cannot be overlooked.
Tarigami was reacting to the statement of state Finance minister Haseeb Drabu who yesterday had said Jammu and Kashmir shouldn't be seen as a conflict state or a political problem, but as a society with social issues.
Criticising Drabu's statement at an event in New Delhi, Tarigami said the facts reveal that the problem of Jammu and Kashmir has been there since the accession of the state to the Indian union.
He said throughout the chequered history of past decades it has not been just a territorial dispute but a test of the secular, democratic and federal nature of the republic.
"The continued Indo-Pak confrontations resulting in wars between the two countries, cycles of violence and mass protests have sufficiently demonstrated the political nature of this vexed issue," he said.
The CPI(M) leader said this unrest graphically illustrates the deep sense of alienation of the people.
"Since 2014 the gulf between people and the Indian state has been further widened," he said, adding that "this serious situation calls for an in-depth examination of the entire Kashmir issue and necessary political steps initiated to address this long pending problem".
He said the lingering issue has created social, economic and cultural implications but essentially its political nature cannot be overlooked.
