Congress seeks Centre’s clarification on third-party mediation on Kashmir issue

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress on Monday urged the Centre to clarify whether it is open to third-party mediation on the Kashmir issue, warning that such a stance could potentially violate the Simla Agreement.

Referring to US President Donald Trump’s daily statements, claiming that he was intervening in the matter, the Congress said a clarification from the union government on the matter was inevitable.

While addressing a party programme here, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the party wants to know whether there has been a shift in the country’s foreign policy, and therefore the matter has to be taken up in the Parliament at the earliest.

Questions are now being raised if the Simla Agreement has been violated.

“Was the Simla Agreement, which rejects any third-party involvement in the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan, violated? Trump has been making statements daily, claiming that he has intervened in the matter. We need the government’s clarification,” Venugopal said.

“The Congress party has asked the Prime Minister of India to urgently convene Parliament to discuss these issues. This is not to blame anyone or put them on trial.”

The Congress party also called for a special session of Parliament to evaluate the situation in detail, to identify any mistakes that were made, and to ensure that they are not repeated in the future.

“We must get answers to these questions in order to rectify lapses and

mistakes, and to continue our fight against Pakistan without fail,” he added.