Archives

NEW DELHI, Thursday (AFP) Indian opposition parties joined the global community in urging Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's government to ensure that the upcoming Kashmir elections were "free and fair".

"The people of Kashmir do not want the sun or the moon. They don't even want the stars. They only want their rights," said Ghulam Nabi Azad, an MP of the main opposition Congress party during a debate in the upper house of parliament.

"And what is their right? Their basic right is free and fair elections in the state. If you ensure free and fair elections, this would be the first step towards resolving the dispute," Azad, who is from Kashmir, said.

Elections are to be held in Kashmir in September/October to elect a new provincial government.

During the debate, which centred around the July 12 massacre of 28 Hindus by militants in Kashmir, Azad also said the government's typical response in blaming Pakistan for every militant attack would not solve the state's problems.

"Everytime an incident takes place in Kashmir, we come here, we sit down, we debate and we leave. This is what happens," Azad said.

"And the only reply that we get from the government is that they (the militants) came from Pakistan, they killed the people and they ran away. Is this at all going to serve the purpose? Is there anything new in this?"

Another senior Congress leader and former finance minister Manmohan Singh urged the government to reopen "communication channels" with Pakistan.

Ram Jethmalani, a former law minister in Vajpayee's cabinet and now an independent MP, caused an uproar in the house when he supported Powell's suggestion that foreign observers should be allowed to monitor elections in Kashmir.

"I don't see what is wrong in this," Jethmalani said. "We also sent our observers for elections in Bangladesh."

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager