Ghulam Nabi Azad on Kashmir: 'People will know drama was to divert attention'

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad speaks to Manoj C G on the situation in the Valley and why he thinks the government is trying to divert attention from burning issues

In a petition to the United Nations, Pakistan has quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying that "people (are) dying" in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP has targeted the Congress over this

It is stupid on the part of Pakistan to have mentioned such a thing. That shows the hollowness on their part. Rahul Gandhi has already made it clear what he actually meant. I totally dismiss what Pakistan has mentioned in its petition. But the fact of the matter is that the whole world knows that Jammu and Kashmir is out of bounds for everybody, including a person like me who belongs to that state and is an MP from that state. Even I have not been allowed to enter the state. So that clearly indicates the way they have taken… All the former chief ministers and senior leaders of political parties have been taken away from their houses and kept somewhere nobody knows. Their number runs into thousands. Small and big leaders, even sarpanch-level leaders have not been spared. It is not the first time that curfew has been imposed or Section 144 invoked, but never before state leaders, that too of mainstream parties, been detained like this and leaders belonging to state prevented from entering the state.

Ultimately, one comes to the conclusion that there is something wrong which is being hidden by the government from the leaders so that they don't make noise. Had everything been fine, they should have allowed the leaders of at least mainstream political parties. There were times in early 1990s when things were bad….when we were in government at the Centre…we requested or rather begged the regional parties from the Valley, the mainstream political parties in the Valley who had fled to Jammu to go back to Kashmir and start some political activity. We offered them all facilities, security. 

Here is a government which instead of taking the support of political parties…(is) not allowing even former chief ministers to come out of their houses. So what is there to hide? This is something which is creating a lot of confusion….mainstream parties have from time to time helped the government of India or the state administration to retrieve the situation. And you have put them behind the bars.

(Inputs fom The Indian Expess)