Why is PM silent over use of 'Indian-administered J&K' by US: Congress

The Congress party on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for their silence over the use of the term "Indian-administered Kashmir" in a US government order and asked whether it was a "sell-out of national interests".

The party also demanded a response especially from Modi for not protesting against the term despite his visit to the US.

On BJP taking credit for the US declaring Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist, the party reminded that in June 2006, the US imposed heavy sanctions on India's most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim on a motion by the then UPA government.

The Congress also hit out at the repeated telecast of "forced hugs" by Modi and wondered how the US order on Syed Salahuddin referring to "Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir" was ignored.

"I would like to make it clear that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part, was an integral part and shall remain an integral part of India. We have given our sweat and blood and we will not let even a friendly country question it," Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said in a press conference.

"For Modiji and his party, this can be a subject of political expediency to keep silent... The Indian National Congress and other nationalist parties and secular parties will never remain silent," Azad said.

The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said that allowing the use of the term meant a "compromise with India's national security and sovereignty" and asked the Centre whether it was a "sell-out of national interests".

Azad further asked: "Why has Prime Minister not protested despite being on the US soil? Why are the External Affairs Minister (Sushma Swaraj), Defence Minister (Arun Jaitley) and the Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) keeping mum on the issue?"

"Empty chest thumping, false bravado and captive TV studio warfare by the BJP government cannot hide its failures in terms of compromising national security," Azad said.

"On August 6, 2010, Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI) was declared a designated terrorist organisation by the US, again by the UPA's efforts.

"On September 15, 2011, Indian Mujahideen, another Pakistan-based terrorist organisation responsible for a series of attacks, was declared by the US as a terror organisation. In April 2012, the US had put $10m bounty on Lashkar-e-Taiba's Hafiz Saeed, wanted for the Mumbai 26/11 attacks, again by UPA's efforts."

Azad also said that in the past, even on minor mistakes, the BJP and the media would tear the government to pieces, but when it came to gross violation and mistakes committed by the present government by no less than the Prime Minister himself, no one pointed it out, he said.

The term was used in a US government order designating Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin a global terrorist, ahead of the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump.

Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram also disapproved of the Indian government's lack of response.

"US' official statement used the phrase "Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir". How did India accept this?" he said in a tweet.

Similar objections were raised by party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Tuesday, when in a series of tweets he accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "pseudo nationalism" for the government not objecting to the term.

--IANS

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