New Delhi: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah today sparked up a controversy by saying that the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) would remain with Pakistan.
"PoK is in Pakistan, and will remain. J&K is in India, and will remain. We need to understand this," he said while talking to reporters.
“War is not the solution, only lives are lost. Dialogue is the only option," he added.
Abdullah, who had also served as a Union minister during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government said, "Let us be practical. The then PM, Atal Bihari Vajpayee told me that when he visited Pakistan, he gave the suggestion that Pakistan should keep PoK, but they did not agree. But now if we start the talks with Pakistan again, they are ready on this formula.”
Abdullah's statement drew flak from many leaders. Rebutting the statement by Abdullah, J& K's Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said, “The 1994 Parliament resolution clearly said that Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is constitutionally a part of India.”
Union minister Jitender Singh said: "How can we forget in 1994 there was a unanimous resolution passed in Parliament on how to deal with Pakistan's claim on Kashmir? The position of the government has been very clear on this issue... there are no two ways about it."
Former Home Secretary and BJP Parliamentarian RK Singh said, "This is a bogus statement. It is Pakistan Occupied Kashmir which is illegally occupied by Pakistan."
