Narrow-mindedness cause for Pakistan breaking up

Condemning the Pakistan Foreign Office’s criticism of the Indian Government’s plans to create special townships in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress Party on Friday said that Pakistan’s continuing narrow mindedness is a key cause for it breaking up.

Responding to Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam’s statement, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told media persons here, “I don’t think we should pay attention to such people. Pakistan and a lot of Pakistan spokespersons have nothing better to do than to repeat old stereotypes. It is a country which is suffering deeply. It is splintering apart because of the narrow mindedness shown on so many issues.”

“I don’t think India should dignify such comments about Kashmir with repeated attention because, our stand is clear and, Pakistan just sounds like a very troubled country which keeps on parroting the same thing without meaning and with no international acceptability,” he added.

Aslam had earlier said that any effort to create special townships in Jammu and Kashmir would violate the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, and added that the people of the state are resisting such change.

“Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory. The UN Security Council resolutions have pronounced very clearly on the status of the Jammu and Kashmir.

Pending the final settlement through plebiscite, the two countries have administrative responsibilities in the disputed territory. But, there is a very clear direction that there cannot be any demographic change and there cannot be any step which would alter the makeup of the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” Aslam said at her regular media briefing.

“Any effort to create special and dedicated townships, zones or any other step to alter the demographic composition of Jammu and Kashmir is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. We have already seen how the people of Jammu and Kashmir are resisting the possibility of such measures,” she added.