Author: PTI
Publication: Daily Excelsior
Date: November 22, 2003
URL: http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/03nov22/news.htm#7
Rejecting Pakistan's demand that
UN resolutions be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, India has said it first
went to the world body not because the State was a disputed territory but
because of Pakistani aggression.
In an interview to a private Pakistani
TV channel broadcast today, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said
"you are right in saying that it was India which took the question of Pakistan
aggression on Jammu and Kashmir to UN. You are also right in saying that
we suggested that there should be a plebiscite."
Kashmir had acceded legally to India
and "after that we went to UN, not because Kashmir is a disputed territory,
but to protest the aggression by Pakistan," Sinha told Geo TV.
"At that time Pakistan had not agreed
to the condition that it should withdraw it forces. These talks went for
several years but the issue was not resolved."
Sinha said in view of this India
believed Simla agreement constituted the basis for settlement of Kashmri
issue.
"Simla agreement says representatives
of both the countries will meet to find a final solution to Jammu and Kashmir.
This outlines the process for final settlement," he said, adding Pakistan
neglects the agreement and speaks only of UN resolutions.
Asked about Pakistan's demand, in
response to India's latest peace gesture, that UN documents be used by
passengers travelling in the proposed Srinagar- Muzzafarabad bus, Sinha
shot back, "Pakistan-based Kashmiris travel between India and Pakistan
as well as abroad with documents issued by Pakistan. Some of them are coming
to India and some going abroad. Where does the UN come in between?"
Denying that there were any proposal
to formalise the Line of Control as border between the two countries, Sinha
said India's official stand was that Pakistan should give up its right
on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
"Therefore there is no dispute on
that. If there is problem it is Pak-occupied Kashmir," he said.
Sinha said Kashmir had undergone
a great deal of change after UN resolutions as Pakistan had given 5200
sq km of territory in Kashmir to China.
Besides, Pakistan President Pervez
Musharraf himself said over two lakh families of soldiers had been settled
in PoK. "Has it not changed the demography of Kashmir. Which Kashmir are
they talking about. Can we go back to the situation as it prevailed in
1949?" Sinha asked.
"I want to tell you with confidence
that this cross border terrorism is not going to last long. It will now
be difficult to continue with infiltration," he said.
Sinha said Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee would visit Islamabad for the SAARC summit in January but would
not meet Pakistani leaders.
"We said it clearly that we will
hold summit-level meeting at that (high) time when all the preparations
were made from the `bottom level' as direct summits failed to yield results,"
Sinha said.
