Kashmiris being ‘systematically’ alienated, antagonised: Sonia Gandhi

Congress President terms crisis in the disputed valley a 'colossal failure' of the BJP government

NEW DELHI: Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said the people of Indian-held Kashmir are being 'systematically' alienated and antagonised as the current crisis in the troubled valley represented the "colossal failure" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

"The crisis in Jammu and Kashmir has come to represent the colossal failure of this government. We are facing a rise in cross-border terrorism," Gandhi said while addressing a Congress Working Committee meeting on Tuesday.



The Congress president accused the state and central governments of "insensitive handling" of the situation in Kashmir which was "systematically alienating and antagonising the local population, especially the youth". "A large number of jawans (soldiers and troopers) and civilians have lost their lives or have been injured, young people have even been blinded," she said.

Gandhi said it was imperative for the Indian government to address the crisis and that it "corrects its flawed approach, works in earnest to rebuild and restore normalcy to regain the trust of the people".

Kashmir has been a disputed region between Pakistan and India since independence from Britain in 1947. Two of three wars have been fought over the valley.



Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on June 5 claimed that India was ready to resolve all issues with Pakistan bilaterally, but added that talks and terror could not go together. Swaraj, however, made it clear that the Kashmir issue could only be handled bilaterally and said that "Pakistan cannot take Kashmir issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)." The Indian minister also denied any flip-flop in India's policy on Pakistan.

This article originally appeared on Economic Times.