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Only I can solve Kashmir problem, says Karan Singh

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

Congress politician Karan Singh, former sadar-e-riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir, today said he alone could resolve the Kashmir imbroglio. Singh was speaking at the release of a book entitled Kashmir, a Mirage, written by Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh.

"A lot has been said and discussed about Kashmir in international fora. The time has come when this problem should be solved once for all so that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are not subjected to the miseries of militancy and killings anymore. And if anyone knows how to solve this problem which has been bothering us all since 1947, it is I," he declared vehemently.

But Dr Singh refused to give details, saying, "I will tell the authorities as and when they ask me for my advice."

He attacked the critics who blamed the 'indecisiveness' of his father, the late Maharaja Hari Singh, for the current mess in the state. "I am amazed that people have the guts to blame my father. He was not indecisive. He took the decision of accession in most difficult circumstances. If Jammu and Kashmir is part of India, it is because of his signatures. It is sad that my father died in exile and justice was not done to him. The Government of India did not even think of releasing a stamp on his centenary," he lamented.

"I am happy the Government of India has eventually agreed to release a postage stamp on Brigadier Rajinder Singh who was military secretary to my father and engaged the Pakistani invaders for 48 hours with a handful of men in 1947 before help arrived from the Indian Army," he added.

Addressing a group of intellectuals who had gathered at the India International Centre for the release of the book, Dr Singh said he had been flooded with requests from various writers who had penned their thoughts on Kashmir to release their books.

"But I do not agree with such requests because today every second person professes to be an expert on Kashmir and hurriedly scribbles down something to get his/her book printed. Half of such writers would not even know where Kathua is," he quipped.

Speaking on the occasion, former election commissioner G V G Krishnamurthy saluted the people of Jammu and Kashmir for having kept democracy alive in the state against all odds.

"In 1996, when the Election Commission was entrusted with the task of holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir, I was assigned the job of making an on-the-spot assessment. I was in touch with General [K V] Krishna Rao, then governor of the state, and kept myself informed of developments in the state. I was given statistics that were shocking. More than 16,000 people had been killed in the state in the previous six years. More than five lakh [500,000] people had been rendered homeless and more than a lakh [100,000] had been injured. The state police and paramilitary organisations had seized a large number of arms and ammunition, including 15,900 AK-47 rifles and 10,000 hand-grenades.

"But the brave people of Jammu and Kashmir have always risen to the occasion and given Pakistan a fitting reply. Even during this election in Kargil we had over 70 per cent turnout of voters," he explained.

"Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and it will be so as long as India is there. We should talk about Jammu and Kashmir, but not our part but Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It is unfortunate that a leading publishing house, which prints diaries and maps, has shown a wrong map of India. It has already given Kashmir partially to Pakistan. I hope if the publishers are here, they will make a note of it," said Krishnamurthy.

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