NEW DELHI : India today rejected outright Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif’s proposal for US intervention in resolving Kashmir issue, asserting Kashmir is an integral part of this country and that it will be a “waste of time” for anybody to even try to question this.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid made it very clear that India will not accept any US intervention, as the matter is a bilateral one agreed to between the two countries.
The government also got the backing of principal opposition party BJP for its stand with senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi saying no third party has the right to interfere on the matter, and appealed to US President Barack Obama to reject Sharif’s proposal.
“There is no way in which India will accept any intervention on an issue that is entirely accepted in the Simla Agreement as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan,” he told.
He said Kashmir is an integral part of India and no one should raise a question on that. “It is a waste of time for anybody, no matter how eminent, to be even trying to question it,” he said.
Ahead of his meeting with President Barack Obama, Sharif today sought US intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue.
Joshi said India has already made it very clear that not just the Kashmir issue, but any matter between India and Pakistan would be solved only by the two countries, and no third party has the right to get involved.
“Nawaz Sharif’s statement on US intervention is not accepted,” he said.
Joshi said he he would like to to tell the UPA government that not only BJP, but the whole country is against American intervention.
“I appeal to Mr Obama not to interfere in this matter, and he should reject Pakistan’s proposal(of US intervention),” he added.
Terming the Kashmir matter as a bilateral issue, CPI National Secretary D Raja said, “Why should the United States be allowed to interfere in an issue which is being dealt with between India and Pakistan.”
“Pakistan government should realise this. Islamabad had earlier tried to internationalise this issue but had failed,” he said. (PTI)
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