India terms Bilawal’s Kashmir statement ‘far from reality’

Published September 21, 2014
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. — File photo
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. — File photo

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday described as “far from reality” the reported comment of Pakistan People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that his party would get back entire Kashmir for his country.

New Delhi also asserted that integrity and unity of the country was “non-negotiable”, the Press Trust of India said.

“We are in the process of looking forward and looking forward does not mean that our borders will be changed. We made it very clear that as far as we are concerned, the integrity and unity of India is non-negotiable,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

He said the comment was “far from reality which takes us back into the past century”.

Mr Zardari was quoted as telling his party colleagues on Friday that the PPP would get back the entire Kashmir from India.

“I will take back Kashmir, all of it, and I will not leave behind a single inch of it because, like the other provinces, it belongs to Pakistan,” he said.

When he made these remarks, PTI said he was flanked by former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf.

The PPP officially wants good ties with India.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2014

Opinion

Editorial

Yearly trouble
Updated 25 Oct, 2024

Yearly trouble

Both Pakistan and India need a strategy that not only penalises harmful practices but also provides long-term solutions.
Countering cybercrime
25 Oct, 2024

Countering cybercrime

THE new National Cyber Crime & Investigation Authority appears to have landed in limbo, with the authorities...
Controversial guest
25 Oct, 2024

Controversial guest

INDIAN preacher Dr Zakir Naik is not known for his subtle approach to faith. Controversies have surrounded him for...
Curtain call
Updated 24 Oct, 2024

Curtain call

There is hope that under Justice Afridi, SC can move beyond the discord and heal the fractures that developed under CJP Isa’s watch.
IMF’s estimate
24 Oct, 2024

IMF’s estimate

THE IMF’s economic growth projection of 3.2pc for Pakistan falls short of the 3.5pc target that the government has...
Religious exchanges
24 Oct, 2024

Religious exchanges

STRAINED relations between Pakistan and India prevent followers of different faiths from visiting sacred sites on ...