Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 4: At a time when the election campaign in Ladakh is in full swing and 18 candidates, including former J&K CM and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, are struggling hard to campaign in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency in Kashmir Valley, a misinformation campaign has been unleashed by certain vested interests to create an impression that J&K is a disputed territory.
"PM Narendra Modi's tough-guy approach has indeed been a disaster in the disputed state of Jammu & Kashmir, where he has inflamed a separatist insurgency rather than quelling it, while at the same time alienating moderate Kashmiris by brutally repressing protests," the vested interests are, inter-alia, saying.
J&K is not a disputed territory; Pakistan-occupied-J&K is. The Constitution of India, 1950, and the J&K Constitution (1957) say so in unambiguous terms. Besides, the three 1994 and 2013 1unanimous parliamentary resolutions also say he same and indicate the nation's resolve to retrieve the areas Pakistan illegally occupied in 1947-1948 after loot, plunder, rape and what not.
J&K acceded to India in the same way other 560-odd princely states acceded to either India or Pakistan. They acceded to India or Pakistan as per the provisions laid down in the Indian Independence Act of 1947. The Maharaja of J&K, Hari Singh, too, acceded his state to India under the same Act. The rulers of the princely states, and not the people, alone had the right to take a final decision on the political future of their respective states. The Indian Independence Act only provided for the accession of the princely states either to India or to Pakistan taking into consideration the contiguity factor. It didn't provide for third option (independence) or fourth option (India-Pakistan joint control over J&K as it existed on August 15, 1947).
Those who are questioning the political status of J&K vis-à-vis India are ignoring the vital fact: Pakistan came into being on August 15, 1947 under the same Indian Independence Act of 1947 under which the princely states like J&K acceded to India or Bhawalpur acceded to Pakistan. To question the political status of J&K would be only to question the political status of Pakistan or its very formation.
Hence, the vested interests would do well to stop their misinformation campaign. But more than that, 2019 is not 1947. Things have changed in New Delhi and New Delhi is determined to defeat all those who wish to disintegrate India by grabbing India's J&K or any other part of the country. |
