Resolving Kashmir issue is not easy: Parrikar

The Kashmir conundrum is not an easy issue to resolve and only a long-term policy can tackle it, Goa Chief Minister and former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Friday.

Parrikar also said that there was a lot of pressure on him when he was serving as the Defence Minister in the national capital.

"It is not easy to resolve the Kashmir issue. There is a need for a long-term policy to resolve the Kashmir issue," Parrikar said at the 126th birth anniversary celebration of Babasaheb Ambedkar here.

He also said that New Delhi wasn't a place he got habituated to.

"Delhi is not my place. It is not the place I am habituated to. There was a lot of pressure on me," Parrikar said.

Parrikar said that discussions, especially in the media, can be a spoiler vis a vis implementation of objectives.

"I feel, there are somethings where discussions should be minimum, but things need to be made to happen. Discussions can be a spoiler," he added.

Speaking about the media which asked him a few questions about resolving the vexed Kashmir issue, the former Defence Minister said: "Do you want this thing to happen, or do you want it to become news?"

He said discussions bring to the fore multiple opinions, which can prove to be a hindrance in decision-making.

"If you want it to happen, do not discuss it too much in the news. When there is a discussion, one person says one thing, while someone else says something else," Parrikar said.

--IANS

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