STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: “If India’s partition was a historic blunder, PoJK was a Nehruvian blunder”.
This was stated here by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh while addressing, as chief guest, the “Sankalp Diwas” seminar organised by JK People’s Forum and JK Study Centre commemorating the 1994 Parliamentary resolution on PoJK.
In a thought-provoking lecture, Dr. Jitendra said, the biggest contradiction of the partition of the Indian subcontinent was that the common citizens of India, including the common Muslim citizens, were opposed to it, but it was forced on the people just because of the personal political ambition of two individuals, namely Jawaharlal Nehru and Moh Ali Jinnah, which led to one of the greatest exchanges of population between the two countries and massive riots, particularly in Punjab and Bengal.
Ironically, Dr Jitendra recalled that the division of J&K was not a part of the partition executed by Redcliff Line but rather a fall-out of the same. J&K acceded to India through a proper Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh but Pakistan did not reconcile to this and waged a war against India.
He said, the greatest tragedy is that when the Indian Forces twere on the verge of retrieving back the territory captured by Pakistan, the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru declared unilateral ceasefire, which if he had refrained from doing, the whole of J&K would have been part of India and the issue of PoJK would have never arisen.
Similarly, Dr Jitendra recalled, if PM Nehru had allowed his Home Minister Sardar Patel to handle J&K with the same authority and freedom as he handled the other Princely State of India, the whole of J&K including PoJK would have today part of Indian Republic. The issue was further complicated, recalled the Minister, because of another Nehruvian blunder that of carrying the so-called Kashmir issue to the UNO.
“Injustice faced by three generation in Jammu & Kashmir was undone by abrogation of Article 370,” underscoring the paradigm shift in counter-terrorism and regional development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dr Jitendra cited the unanimous Parliamentary resolution asserting that whole of J&K including PoJK is an integral part of India.
“The improved security environment and economic revival in J&K reflect the success of the government’s counter-terrorism policies,” the Minister stated.
Dr. Jitendra recalled that adopting a constitutional amendment that extended the tenure of Assembly from five to six years was a misuse of Art 370 by National Conference and Congress.
Dr. Singh asked why for so many decades the region was refrained from implementation of Local Self-Governance (LSG) reforms in India which was recently made possible under the leadership of Prime Minister.
Reflecting on the historic abrogation of Article 370, Dr. Singh commended Prime Minister Modi’s courage and conviction in taking the decisive step that fully integrated J&K into India’s constitutional framework.
Dr. Singh also revisited key historical moments, including the partition of India, the handling of the J&K issue, and past leadership decisions. He criticized previous governments for failing to act decisively on matters such as the Indus Water Treaty and the territorial disputes in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK). Citing historical references, he reiterated the foresight of leaders like Sardar Patel, who successfully integrated princely states into India, and the tragic demise of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who fought for J&K’s full integration.
Dr. Singh’s lecture reinforced the need for continued vigilance, strategic reforms and a strong nationalistic approach to ensure lasting peace and prosperity in India’s most sensitive regions and also the commitment to live upto the unanimous parliamentary resolve regarding PoJK.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was the Guest of Honour on the occasion and spoke about the legal aspects related to Article 370.