SRINAGAR: Kashmiri leaders have seized on Scotland's referendum on independence to demand that India follow through on a promise to grant a similar vote in the disputed Himalayan region.
Scotland was voting on Thursday on whether to split away from the United Kingdom in a ballot, All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said was an example of how Kashmiris' demands for a say on their future could be solved peacefully.
"We hope India will also change its approach and realise the fact that people's rights can't be trampled upon," Farooq said on Wednesday.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since a war after independence from Britain in 1947.
India has never carried out a promise made more than six decades ago to hold a referendum that would determine the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It now considers the entire region of snow-capped mountains and fertile valleys an integral part of its territory and maintains a massive military presence in Jammu and Kashmir.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2014.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ