Offer of plebiscite in J&K no longer relevant: Chidambaram

The offer of plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir had been made under very different conditions, which has entirely changed since then, making it no longer relevant, senior Congress leader P Chidamabaram said here Saturday.

Pitching for talks with Pakistan, he said though dealing with that neigbouring nation was "very complicated," there was no other option to avoid war.

"Plebiscite was offered under very different conditions, please understand that," he said adding, that since then the conditions have changed in Jammu and Kashmir.

Fielding a question from a member of the audience - a DMK functionary - at his "Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India" release event here,he said plebiscite was offered to a 'united Kashmir. Since then the conditions have changed and nearly about one half of Jammu and Kashmir is Pakistan occupied now."
The top Congress leader said for about 70 years now Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir were being governed by India and Pakistan respectively and "the entire ground conditions have changed."
"Plebiscite was offered to the whole of Jammu and Kashmir...now Jammu thinks differently, Ladakh, Leh and Kargil think differently today..."
Pointing out that he was only talking about healing the divisions in Kashmir, he said: "I certainly will not allow Kashmir to secede from India, that is not allowed, that is a no go area."
He said that within the Indian Union, "what they are asking is and as far as I have understood is a large degree of self government, which I think we should give them and we can give them."
"So it is very complicated dealing with Pakistan..but as Vajpayeeji once said and Dr Manmohan Singh repeated, Pakistan is our neighbour, we can change our friends, we cannot change our neighbours."
The former Union Minister said hence, "we have to live with Pakistan forever and ever."