SRINAGAR: Malwinder Singh Mali, adviser to PCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu, has courted a political controversy with his recent Facebook posts against revocation of the special status and autonomy granted under Article 370 of the Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris. Going against the tenets of the UNO resolutions, India and Pakistan have illegally usurped the Kashmir territory. If Kashmir was a part of India then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35-A. What was the special agreement with King Hari Singh? Tell people what were the terms of the agreement,” Mali said in his recent posts on Facebook.
Malwinder Singh Mali wrote, “Kashmir is a separate country and India and Pakistan are illegal occupants. It belongs to the people of Kashmir.”
The post has attracted criticism from various quarters, both within and outside the Congress party.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Majithia said Malwinder Singh Mali’s post was an attempt to insult martyrs who had sacrificed their lives fighting for India in Kashmir.
“He [Mali] said that Kashmir is the country of Kashmiris, which means Kashmir is a separate country. He also said that India and Pakistan have illegally encroached upon Kashmir. Rahul Gandhi, is this not an insult to martyrs?” Bikram Majithia said.
“If he [Rahul Gandhi] endorses Mali’s views, then the real face of the Congress will be exposed. If not, what action will he take against Mali?” he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also slammed Malwinder Singh Mali for his controversial tweet and demanded action against him.
Senior BJP leader Vineet Joshi claimed that Navjot Singh Sidhu’s appointment of Mali as his advisor indicated where he was headed in political discourse.
“Many Army and allied forces personnel, besides the Jammu and Kashmir police, have sacrificed their lives to save Kashmir from Pakistan-sponsored militants. A number of martyrs belong to Punjab. Mali is trying to shrink the supreme sacrifices made by these martyrs,” India Today quoted Vineet Joshi as having said.
