Sandeep Dikshit
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 24
India today took on all three of its detractors on Kashmir — some US lawmakers, Malaysia and Turkey — calling them as lacking understanding about the objective situation.
While US lawmakers severely criticised India’s communication lockdown in Kashmir, Malaysia and Turkey are being seen as siding with Pakistan ever since Parliament abolished Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said a few lawmakers at the US Congressional hearing on Kashmir on Tuesday displayed limited understanding of India’s history and Constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights. His main regret was that the hearing should have ascertained facts related to cross-border terrorism. Though two witnesses — Arati Tikoo Singh and Ravi Batra — tried to hammer home this point, members of the Congress seemed more focused on the situation as at present.
Kumar also termed Pakistan facilitated visits for diplomats to its part of Kashmir as an eyewash and felt Islamabad should instead show them proof of destroyed terrorist launch pads or proof of their sincerity in taking credible, verifiable and irreversible steps to stop cross-border terrorism. On Malaysia, Kumar said India had noted the comments of its PM Mahathir bin Mohamad on Kashmir and said those were “unacceptable in keeping with the facts”. Mahathir had said: “We felt that the people of Kashmir had benefited from the UN resolution, and all we are saying is that we should all abide, not just India and Pakistan, but even the US and other countries. We speak out our mind and we don’t retract and change. Otherwise, what’s the good of having the UN?” he had asked.
Mahathir had also contradicted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the issue of extraditing radical preacher Zakir Naik. While Jaishankar maintained that Naik’s extradition was discussed between the two PMs, Mahathir said that was not the case. As the acrimony seems to be spilling over into the trade arena, Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim insisted on steps to find a way to solve this amicably.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2BSDQcB
via Today’s News Headlines
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