Hours after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the Kashmir issue will be solved once stolen territory under illegal Pakistani occupation is returned, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that no one has stopped the government from bringing the PoK back. Speaking in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Abdullah said they would be grateful to the BJP-led government if it also retrieves the part of the Union Territory (UT) under illegal occupation of China.
Referring to the speech of BJP MLAs in the House, Abdullah said the Congress was targeted for leaving Haji Peer in the Uri sector to Pakistan but the BJP did not get back even after getting an opportunity in 1999. “During the Kargil war, there was an opportunity to get back PoK because it was Pakistan which attacked us. If you were so willing, you would have brought back that part but what stopped you? When you look at the map of Jammu and Kashmir, one part is also in China but you do not talk about it,” he said.
He said when the BJP-led central government brings back PoK, they should also bring that part of J-K which is presently in China and “we will be grateful to you”.
Abdullah said the BJP is justifying the separation by saying that it was the long-pending demand of the people of Ladakh. “Have you asked them? Have you tried to find out? “From day one, the people of Kargil were against this decision. The Buddhists of Ladakh who distributed sweets are today of the opinion that they were better placed with J&K. They walked from Leh to Delhi to get back their rights,” he said.