JAMMU: Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have hit out at Pakistan over its objection to settlement of the Pandits community in Kashmir, saying it did not have any business in interfering in the internal matter of India.
“Pakistan has no business to interfere in the internal matter of India. They should better look after their own ills,” senior Congress leader Dr Rashid Choudhary said.
“Kashmiri Pandits are the part and parcel of the Kashmir society. They have full rights on Kashmir,” he said.
Pakistan should stop supporting violence in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, adding there is no demographic change in the state.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry had termed the proposed resettlement of Kashmiri Pandit community in the Valley as a ploy of India to change the demography of the only Muslim majority state in India.
“Any effort to create special dedicated townships or zones, or any other step to alter the demographic make-up of Jammu and Kashmir, is in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions,” its spokeswoman, Tasneem Aslam had said.
“Changing the demography of J&K state by rehabilitating KPs is totally untrue as they are permanent citizens of the state in Kashmir. This is no way going to change the democratic character of Kashmir. This is some wrong information, perhaps with the Government of Pakistan”, NC additional general secretary Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal told reporters here.
“The KPs who are minuscule minority and the part of the population of Kashmir had to leave Kashmir and the issue is resettling those KPs now,” he said, adding that it doesn’t violate any commitments India has given to UN.
“I do not see the statement of the foreign office of the Pakistan in consonance with the reality,” Kamal said.–PTI