India reacted sharply to the statement by Pakistan’s opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto that he will “take back Kashmir, every inch of it” made at a political rally in Pakistan on Friday.
“The integrity and unity of India is non-negotiable and that counts for anyone,” said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, calling Mr. Bhutto’s comment “far from reality which takes us back into the past century.” Mr. Bhutto’s remarks were made at a public rally in Multan, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, where his party, the PPP, was wiped out in the 2013 general elections. Mr. Bhutto’s PPP was wiped out in Multan in the 2013 general elections.
A spokesperson for Mr. Bhutto, Fawad Chaudhury, however, told The Hindu , “After the Scottish referendum, many here are looking again at the possibility of a referendum in Kashmir. When told of the strong reaction in India, he said he was not speaking of a war with India, but that Pakistan owns Kashmir on moral grounds.”
Parties condemn Bilawal remarks on Kashmir
Political reactions across party lines have strongly condemned the statement by Bilawal Bhutto that his party, the Pakistan People’s Party, would take over the whole of Kashmir.
The BJP described the statement as “immature” and “childish,” and said Kashmir would always remain an integral part of India. “Any discussion on it is not acceptable to us. Kashmir resides in the hearts of Indians,” said BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain
The Congress’s Shakeel Ahmad said, “Bilawal Bhutto is inexperienced, he doesn’t know India’s power as a nation.”
Mr. Bhutto’s PPP was wiped out in Multan in the 2013 general elections. According to an analyst in Pakistan, “He [Bhutto] thinks he can gain this region back, where pro-Taliban forces are strong, with such statements on Kashmir.”