BJP Leader Opposes Dialogue With Pakistan To Resolve J&K Issue

Opposing dialogue with Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue, senior BJP leader Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo on Sunday said terror and talks do not go hand-in-hand. Reacting to the statements of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and the Hurriyat Conference urging for a dialogue with Pakistan, the BJP leader said “terror and talks will not go together in an established national, diplomatic and political doctrine of India that has its genesis in the agreements which were signed by India and Pakistan more than a decade ago.”

Chrungoo further said that Pakistan had assured that it would not allow land under its control to be used for terrorist activities against India adding that Pakistan failed to keep its promise so far. He also hit out at the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and said “there is hardly any possibility now to hoodwink the opinion of the locals in the garb of opposition to the BJP”.

Mehbooba Mufti had on Saturday urged India and Pakistan to rise above their petty politics and initiate dialogue adding that it was sad to see rising casualties along both sides of the Line of Control (LoC). In a separate statement, Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said India and Pakistan should hold talks to resolve the Kashmir issue and to stop the "senseless bloodshed" of people living along the LoC.

“These statements have no relevance in the current context of events. Those in the separatist camp or those part of the so-called mainstream politics in Kashmir including their top leaders need to know that the dialogue narrative regarding Pakistan has acquired complete absurdity due to the behaviour, role, and support to terrorism granted by Pakistan,” Chrungoo, said in a statement. He added that it is useless to use such rhetoric just to keep a small section of populace in good humour.

“There is no case for any sort of 'settlement of dispute' with regard to Jammu and Kashmir since Kashmir is a settled issue as per the Instrument of Accession, Shimla Agreement and the unanimous parliamentary resolution of 1994 on Jammu & Kashmir,” Chrungoo said.

The Pakistan Army resorted to heavy firing and shelling on Friday, targeting villages and forward areas along the LoC in which 11 people including five security forces personnel and six civilians were killed. The Indian troops retaliated strongly, killing eight Pakistani soldiers and injuring 12 others besides causing extensive damage to its infrastructure, officials said.