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Pak has no right to hand over parts of POK to China, says Vajpayee

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has questioned the authority of Pakistan in handing over a portion of Pak-Occupied-Kashmir to China.

Addressing a public meeting in Hiranagar, a border town of Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, at the end of his two-day visit to the state, the prime minister said all territory of Jammu and Kashmir, including POK, "is an inseparable part of India and it cannot be snatched by anybody at any cost". He asked, ''What locus standi does Pakistan have to part with a portion of our territory?''

Vajpayee said Pakistan had already occupied a portion of the state and was trying to capture the remaining parts also. To achieve this goal, Pakistan was waging a proxy war in the state and pushing militants across the border.

Ridiculing Pakistani propaganda of self-determination for Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister said it was parting with state territory without ascertaining the wishes of the people while crying hoarse on plebiscite.

Vajpayee said India was keen to settle all issues with Pakistan bilaterally but would never succumb to any pressure as far as its territorial integrity and sovereignty were concerned.

Regarding Kashmir, the issue to be discussed with Pakistan was that of POK, which belongs to India. He said, ''Jammu and Kashmir will always remain the jewel in the crown of India. We are a peace-loving nation but cannot compromise with national security''.

UNI

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