Blaming Jawaharlal Nehru for Pakistan occupying part of Jammu and Kashmir which belongs to India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that due to the “two blunders” of the former Prime Minister, Kashmir had to “suffer for years.”
While replying to a debate on the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Lok Sabha, Shah noted that Nehru made “two blunders”– declared a ceasefire without winning the entire Kashmir (during India-Pakistan war in 1948) and also took the Kashmir issue to the United Nations.
Shah asserted that if Nehru had taken the right steps, PoK would have been an integral part of India today.
“I support the word that was used here — Nehruvian blunder. Because of the blunder that was committed during the time of Nehru, Kashmir had to suffer. With responsibility, I want to say that the two blunders that happened during the tenure of Jawaharlal Nehru, due to his decisions, because of which Kashmir had to suffer for years. The first is to declare a ceasefire – when our army was winning, the ceasefire was imposed. If there had been a ceasefire after three days, PoK would have been a part of India today…The second is to take our internal issue to the UN,” Shah said.
During the debate, the Home Minister also said that the root cause of terrorism in the region was nothing but Article 370, which was abrogated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in 2019.
“During the 1994-2004 period, a total of 40,164 incidents of terrorism were registered. During the 2004-2014 period, a total of 7,217 incidents of terrorism took place. During the 2014-2023 period, under the Narendra Modi government, the total incidents of terrorism registered have been around 2,000, which marks a 70 per cent reduction in the incidents of terrorism. That is why I was right in saying that the root cause of separatism, the root cause of terrorism was nothing but Article 370,” he said.
The Home Minister, during his address in the lower house, reaffirmed that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is part of the country.
He said that the Delimitation Commission, set up by the Centre for the delimitation of asssembly and parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, has reserved 24 seats for PoK.
“The Delimitation (Commission) went everywhere in J-K. The representatives of several communities, including Kashmiri migrants and people displaced in PoK, had submitted applications to them regarding their representation in state assembly. I am happy that the commission has taken cognizance of this and the (then) Election Commissioner of India has nominated two seats in state assembly for Kashmiri migrants and one seat for a person displaced in PoK, which has been occupied unauthorizedly by Pakistan,” Shah said.
“Earlier there were 37 seats in Jammu (division), now there are 43. Earlier there were 46 in Kashmir, now there are 47. And 24 seats for PoK have been reserved, Kyuki Woh Hamara Hai (because PoK is ours),” he added.
‘PoK Hamara Hai’
Twenty four seats have been reserved in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as “PoK is ours,” Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Parliament on Wednesday.
While replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha on the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 Shah said that earlier, Jammu had 37 seats but now it has 43, while Kashmir had 46 seats, now it has 47 seats.
He said that the Delimitation Commission, set up by the Centre for the delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, has reserved 24 seats for PoK.
Shah said, “The Delimitation (Commission) went everywhere in J-K. The representatives of several communities, including Kashmiri migrants and people displaced in PoK, had submitted applications to them regarding their representation in state assembly. I
am happy that the commission has taken cognizance of this and the (then) Election Commissioner of India has nominated two seats in state assembly for Kashmiri migrants and one seat for a person displaced in PoK, which has been occupied unauthorisedly by Pakistan.”
“Earlier there were 37 seats in Jammu (division), now there are 43. Earlier, there were 46 in Kashmir, now there are 47. And 24 seats for PoK have been reserved, Kyuki Woh Hamara Hai (because PoK is ours),” he added. The Union minister said that now there will be five nominated members in J-K Assembly.