Terming the remarks of Home Minister Rajnath Singh as far from the reality, the incarcerated chairman of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) Shabir Ahmad Shah on Monday said anyone’s denial and stubbornness cannot change the history and historical facts.In a statement issued to KNS, Shah said Rajnath’s statement in Kathua was “provocative” and that the Indian minister should “bear in mind that Jammu Kashmir is not India’s property”. He said Rajnath must “update” his knowledge by going through the UN resolutions that stand passed in the Security Council of the world institution.Shah said, “Though we consider the implementation of UN resolutions or trilateral talks as the ways to resolve the (Kashmir) issue but Rajnath Singh must go through the Kashmir policies of previous prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narasimha Rao as to how acknowledged the disputed nature of Kashmir and initiated dialogue process with Pakistan. India cannot change the historical realities by intimidating the neighbouring country.”On Rajnath Singh’s “wish” that India wants to express itself as a strong power, Shah said the wish could only be fulfilled if India “shuns its hegemonic attitude in the region, maintains friendly relations with its neighbours, and start dialogue with Pakistan (to resolve Kashmir) instead of using ‘war language’ against it.”
“India can fulfill its dream (of becoming a big power) – by giving peace a chance, refrain from arms race and interfering in other countries’ affairs, and resolving Kashmir issue,” Shah said, adding, “More than half of India’s population lives under open sky and there are numerous human issues confronting the country. The reason is the country’s ever-growing arms race and spending the major portion of its budget on defence procurement.”“Reality is that Indian political leadership is exploiting the common masses by making them believe in the so-called hollow dreams like ‘Shining India’ and by harbouring the anti-Pakistan sentiment in their hearts,” he said.Shah said no power in the world can deny the disputed nature of Kashmir nor can India’s dream of becoming a “strong power” be fulfilled unless the issue is resolved.“What prevents India from implementing the UN resolutions if it is so sure of its claims? The few collaborators cannot be the authority to decide the political future of the State. Today, India is finding excuses but the time will come when the country will plead for the resolution of the vexed dispute,” Shah said.Meanwhile, Freedom Party paid tributes to Sofi Mohammad Akbar on his 29th anniversary saying the deceased’s contribution to the freedom movement is “exemplary”. (KNS)