India’s prime minister says he has «solved» the «problem» in Kashmir
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed to have "solved" the "problem" in the disputed Kashmir region with Pakistan, sparking criticism from Islamabad, which said it was a "false and misleading" claim.
Archive - India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi -
Michael Kappeler/dpa
Modi has given a speech in which he has veiled criticism of Jawaharlal Nehru -- who became the first person to hold the post of prime minister after independence in 1947 -- by claiming that the situation in Kashmir was managed "by a single person", causing the problem to fester.
Thus, the prime minister extolled the figure of Sardar Patel, India's deputy prime minister during part of Nehru's term, and has assured that he is "following in his footsteps." "Sardar persuaded the states to join India, but someone else managed the Kashmir issue," he stressed.
"I am following in the footsteps of Sardar, I have the values of Sardar's land and that is the reason I have solved the Kashmir issue. Therefore, I pay tribute to Sardar Patel," he said, as reported by Indian state news agency PTI.
In response, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry has "categorically" rejected Modi's remarks and said that these statements "reflect how far removed the Indian leadership is from the ground realities in occupied Kashmir".
Thus, he stressed in a statement published on its website that the situation in the region "is an internationally recognized dispute" and added that "the solution to it has been on the agenda of the United Nations since 1948".
"Despite clear UN resolutions on a free and impartial plebiscite for the final settlement of the dispute, India has not only illegally occupied the territory, but is guilty of gross violations of human rights and employs more than 900,000 troops of its brutal occupying force," he denounced.
In this regard, he stressed that "the fact remains that the people in occupied Kashmir continue to face the condemnable Indian occupation, which it seeks to perpetuate through malicious demographic shifts and heavy-handed tactics", before branding the "prepared visits" of Indian leaders and "so-called development projects" as a "façade of normalcy".
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry stressed that these actions "will not affect the spirit of Kashmiris fighting for freedom from the illegal Indian occupation and will not mislead the world", before calling on New Delhi to "fulfill its commitments to Kashmiris and the world and ensure that the Kashmiri people enjoy their inalienable right to self-determination".
"Pakistan has consistently asked the international community to assume its role and responsibility over occupied Kashmir and Indian atrocities in the occupied territory," he recalled, before calling on human rights organizations to "condemn India's state terrorism" in the region.
"The only solution to the Kashmir dispute is to ensure that Kashmiris can exercise their right to self-determination through the democratic method of holding a free and fair plebiscite, mediated by the UN, as provided for in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the wishes of the Kashmiri people," he concluded.
Pakistan and India have clashed over it in two of the three wars they have fought since independence from the UK. In 1999 there was a brief but intense military confrontation between the two nuclear powers and since 2003 there has been a fragile truce.
Modi has given a speech in which he has veiled criticism of Jawaharlal Nehru -- who became the first person to hold the post of prime minister after independence in 1947 -- by claiming that the situation in Kashmir was managed "by a single person", causing the problem to fester.
Thus, the prime minister extolled the figure of Sardar Patel, India's deputy prime minister during part of Nehru's term, and has assured that he is "following in his footsteps." "Sardar persuaded the states to join India, but someone else managed the Kashmir issue," he stressed.
"I am following in the footsteps of Sardar, I have the values of Sardar's land and that is the reason I have solved the Kashmir issue. Therefore, I pay tribute to Sardar Patel," he said, as reported by Indian state news agency PTI.
In response, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry has "categorically" rejected Modi's remarks and said that these statements "reflect how far removed the Indian leadership is from the ground realities in occupied Kashmir".
Thus, he stressed in a statement published on its website that the situation in the region "is an internationally recognized dispute" and added that "the solution to it has been on the agenda of the United Nations since 1948".
"Despite clear UN resolutions on a free and impartial plebiscite for the final settlement of the dispute, India has not only illegally occupied the territory, but is guilty of gross violations of human rights and employs more than 900,000 troops of its brutal occupying force," he denounced.
In this regard, he stressed that "the fact remains that the people in occupied Kashmir continue to face the condemnable Indian occupation, which it seeks to perpetuate through malicious demographic shifts and heavy-handed tactics", before branding the "prepared visits" of Indian leaders and "so-called development projects" as a "façade of normalcy".
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry stressed that these actions "will not affect the spirit of Kashmiris fighting for freedom from the illegal Indian occupation and will not mislead the world", before calling on New Delhi to "fulfill its commitments to Kashmiris and the world and ensure that the Kashmiri people enjoy their inalienable right to self-determination".
"Pakistan has consistently asked the international community to assume its role and responsibility over occupied Kashmir and Indian atrocities in the occupied territory," he recalled, before calling on human rights organizations to "condemn India's state terrorism" in the region.
"The only solution to the Kashmir dispute is to ensure that Kashmiris can exercise their right to self-determination through the democratic method of holding a free and fair plebiscite, mediated by the UN, as provided for in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the wishes of the Kashmiri people," he concluded.
Pakistan and India have clashed over it in two of the three wars they have fought since independence from the UK. In 1999 there was a brief but intense military confrontation between the two nuclear powers and since 2003 there has been a fragile truce.
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