Senior Congress leader and former union minister Prof Saifuddin Soz on Saturday said that latest statement of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reveals that she is unaware about the “ground realities” in Kashmir.
“When this draconianmeasure (AFSPA) was discussed in the Lok Sabha on November, 10, 1990, I hadstrongly protested and thrown away the copy of the bill in the well of theHouse. My protest was widely reported in the media. The diehards and illinformed BJP loud-mouths, in their ignorance and sectarian thinking, haddescribed me as a sympathizer of the extremists,” Soz said in a statement here.
He said, “Over this long period of time, nothing seems tohave changed for the BJP’s narrow mindedness on issues. Sitharaman’sill-conceived statement on AFSPA saying that it was needed by the forces isgoing to worsen the situation in Kashmir. The present Central government iscompletely unprepared to take notice of the realities in Kashmir.”
“I could raise a straight question for these propagandistpatriots as to why they don’t take notice of the beating that the electoralprocess has received in the now concluded Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir? Iwish Ms Sitharaman had time to understand the death and destruction that hasbeen caused by this un-civilized and draconian law – AFSPA, in Kashmir, allthese years, ‘besides, deepening the alienation of Kashmiris with the Union ofIndia,” he added.Soz said that “It is heartening, however, thatCongress Party has assured people of Kashmir that AFSPA will be reshaped tolose its unacceptable character, particularly the clause (iv) which isabsolutely draconian.”