Pakistani Defence Minister speaks on Kashmir elections, alliance with Congress

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the Shehbaz Sharif government and the Congress-National Conference alliance are on the same page on the issue of Restoration of Article 370 The statement comes amid parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the first since the erstwhile state’s special status was scrapped in 2019.

In an interview with Geo News, Khawaja Asif said there was a “high probability” that Congress-National Conference Alliance would win the Assembly elections and come to power in the Union Territory.

“They (the alliance) have made it an election issue. Pakistan and the National Conference-Congress alliance are on the same page in Jammu and Kashmir to restore Articles 370 and 35A,” Asif said.

While the National Conference has pledged to restore Article 370, the Congress has remained completely silent on the issue and has not even mentioned it in its manifesto. The Congress, however, has promised to commit itself to restoring full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

The revocation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories remains a matter of deep emotion for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially those in the Valley. The restoration of Article 370 figures prominently in the manifestos of the National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP.

BJP gets new ammunition against Congress

The remark gave the BJP fresh ammunition to attack the Congress, saying the party has always been seen as siding with those who are “hostile to India’s interests”.

“Pakistan, a terrorist state, supports the stand of Congress and National Conference on Kashmir. How come from (Gurpatwant) Pannun to Pakistan, Rahul Gandhi and his Congress are still considered to be on the side of those who are hostile to India’s interests?” tweeted Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell.

Recently, Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun endorsed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about the “existential threat” to the Sikh community in India.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also lashed out at the Congress, saying the “cat is out of the bag”. “Was there ever any doubt? To oppose PM Modi, they can even side with Pakistan,” he said.