Deployment of Army is prerogative of nation: Panun Kashmir

An organisation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits today lashed out at senior AAP leader Prashant Bhushan for backing referendum on Army's removal from Kashmir, saying it is the sole prerogative of the country to deploy its armed forces keeping in view the internal security needs.
"It is the sole prerogative of the nation to deploy its armed forces wherever it decides keeping in view the internal security needs and the national imperatives. It is not Bhushan to decide," Panun Kashmir president, Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo told reporters here.
He said, "the highly obnoxious and controversial statements made by the AAP leader Prashant Bhushan regarding the holding of a referendum on the deployment of the Armed forces in Kashmir are seditious".

"As a leader of a political party he (Bhushan) needs to be immediately investigated to find out his antecedents and the real motives behind his anti-national stance," Chrungoo said.
The Panun Kashmir chief also sought elaboration on the comment made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over resolution of the Kashmir issue with Pakistan.
"The recent statement made by the Prime Minister that the 'resolution of the Kashmir issue' was in sight and could not be made only because of the change of guard in Pakistan, needs clear elaboration".

Chrungoo said the contours of the 'resolution' need to be brought before the citizens of the country specially since the government went through a "protracted process of secret negotiations and dialogue" with Pakistan in order to find some solution to the "so-called Kashmir problem".

He also claimed that the entire contours of the agreement are heavily tilted in favour of Pakistan.
"Kashmiri Pandits, as the prime stakeholders in Kashmir, term it as an absolute diplomatic shame. We demand that the entire conspiracy behind the secret parleys be put before the nation," Chrungoo said.
The Panun Kashmir chief said the recent statement of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that his government will bring the Temples and Shrines Bill in the next session of the Assembly is a promise which needs to be fulfilled.