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Former premiers oppose J-K autonomy resolution

Three former prime ministers on Saturday strongly opposed the autonomy demand of Jammu and Kashmir with Chandra Shekhar lashing out at Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Home Minister L K Advani for their statements that the government would consider the issue.

Speaking at a seminar on National Security in New Delhi Chandra Shekhar said the statements of Vajpayee and Advani will encourage similar demands in other states like Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Assam. Instead of making such remarks they should have clearly stated that the issue is not negotiable, he said.

He said words like accountability, transparency and right to information might sound impressive but these could not be applied to matters concerning national security.

Speaking at another seminar, V P Singh and I K Gujral said J&K's autonomy demand might lead to division of the troubled state on the basis of religion and give a boost to communal forces there.

"Any demand for autonomy linked with division of the state on the basis of religion or community will destroy the uniqueness of Kashmir," Singh said, criticising the Farooq Abdullah Government for getting the resolution on the issue passed in the state assembly.

Supporting Singh's view, Gujral said, "autonomy linked with a plan to bifurcate or trifurcate the state will give a big jolt not only to its economy but also to the people of Kashmir who have already suffered a lot."

Both Singh and Gujral favoured an all-party discussion on the issue. "No party can alone claim to have a solution to the Kashmir problem. A permanent and reliable solution can come only when all parties sit down and put their heads together," Singh said.

PTI

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