Govt's priority is to normalise situation in Kashmir: Congress

Member of Parliament and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Tuesday said that the time to talk with the Pakistan is not right and that the government's priority should be to normalise the situation in Kashmir.

Azad told ANI "At present our priority should be focused on the present situation in Kashmir in our country and how to normalise it. In a situation, where so many people are being killed and injured and when behind all these happenings (Pakistan) itself is responsible for the entire episode, of 38 days. I don't think this is the time to talk.and the government should take it seriously."

Briefing the killings in Kashmir as against humanity, Azad said, "Yesterday night as well, five to six people were killed and we pray that situation becomes normal soon."

"The matter of Kashmir was discussed four times in the Rajya Sabha and only once in the Lok Sabha, but honourable Prime Minister was not present during the discussion. And yesterday as well, he did not say a single word on the unrest in Kashmir where kids are being killed with pelllet guns and hundreds of people being injured."

Azad added that after continuous requests to the Prime Minister, he agreed for an all-party meeting.

He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not discussing the unrest in Kashmir in his Independence Day speech.

Azad said, "he can speak about -- who should be given railway ticket and who all should be admitted in hospital.We had told them earlier that Kashmir is in need of the Central government's help."

Azad's reaction was to Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry inviting his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar, for talks on the Jammu and Kashmir issue in Islamabad.

Pakistan's invitation for talks came days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz's statement that Pakistan is planning to invite India for a dialogue on the Kashmir issue.

However, India has already rejected Pakistan's invitation to hold talks on Jammu and Kashmir.

Responding to Aziz's statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday said India would welcome a dialogue on contemporary and relevant issues in India-Pakistan relations.