US trying to hyphenate India, Pakistan: alleges the grand old party
New Delhi, May 11: The Congress on Sunday demanded answers from the government on whether it has accepted third-party mediation on Kashmir after the US made announcements on behalf of India and Pakistan, and slammed attempts to “internationalise” the issue and “hyphenate” the two countries.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot said the US move to announce a “ceasefire” between India and Pakistan is “unprecedented” and raises several questions.
He said the government must accept the opposition’s demand for another all-party meeting chaired by the prime minister and a special session of Parliament to discuss these issues in the current circumstances.
Noting that events have changed swiftly in the last 24 hours, he said, “We were all surprised after the announcement of ceasefire was made by the US President through social media.”
“An attempt was made to internationalise the issues between India and Pakistan. This is for the first time this has happened,” he said, asserting that the government must clarify while taking the nation and all parties into confidence.
“What I am saying is that the fact that the US unilaterally announces a ceasefire between two countries so far away. It is unprecedented, has not happened before and they have tried to engulf the discussion to involve Kashmir, which again is unprecedented.
“To say that they will meet at a neutral site, who are they to decide what the neutral site is and who should meet,” he said, referring to the US statements.
On Sunday, government sources asserted that India will never accept mediation in the Kashmir issue and the only matter to discuss is Pakistan returning the territory which is under its illegal occupation.
Pilot said PoK is part of India and we have resolved in 1994 to take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“Has there been a change in that stand? What are the conditions, what are the circumstances, what are the issues on which they will talk and who is a third country to dictate to India- where and when we should meet and how we should meet, that is a question that needs to be answered,” he said.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Saturday announced that India and Pakistan had reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect.
“On what conditions the ceasefire has been declared and what is the guarantee that such things would not be repeated, as there is no credibility left after yesterday’s events (violations). How can we believe them, and what is the guarantee that such developments will not happen again?” Pilot asked.
The Congress leader said one must also pay heed to what US President Donald Trump wrote on his social media posts, where he made statements on Kashmir, on which the government should spell out its side.
“Kashmir is a bilateral issue, and the attempt to internationalise it, I feel, is not proper.
“A special session be convened and the 1994 resolution be adopted again, and it may be made clear that no third party involvement will be accepted.
“It should be stated clearly that no third-party involvement will be accepted. It is a bilateral issue and it is India’s and Pakistan’s issue, and no country, including America, should have a space to intervene in a bilateral issue,” he asserted, adding that India’s stated foreign policy was very clear where there was no scope for mediation. (PTI)