Kashmir needs solution: ex-Indian minister

ISLAMABAD: Former Indian finance minister P Chidambaram took a dig at ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for failing to restore normality in occupied Kashmir.

P Chidambaram, in a series of tweets on Sunday, said militaristic and muscular policy had failed to achieve anything in Kashmir.

He said there was an issue concerning Jammu and Kashmir and there were frequent reminders to indicate it, the KMS reported.

Chidambaram said, “If you are one of those who had thought that the hard, muscular, militaristic approach of the government should be given a chance, please look at the table once again. You may change your view.”

He wrote, “From time to time, we are rudely reminded that there is an issue concerning the Jammu and Kashmir.”

The last reminder came on the night of December 30, 31, 2017, when mujahideen attacked the CRPF Training Centre at Lethpora in Pulwama district killing five CRPF personnel and injuring three”.

Terming recent appointment of interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma to the Valley a ploy to garner votes for BJP ahead of Gujarat elections, he said, “On the eve of the election in Gujarat, the government appointed Dineshwar Sharma as special representative, but his mandate was not clear.

“Subsequently, it was indicated that the special representative will talk to anyone who was willing to meet him, and therein lies the catch,” he tweeted.

Asking India to shun its aggressive approach on Kashmir, he wrote, “Wisdom lies in actively working to find a political solution to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.”