PM Modi to Discuss Kashmir with All Parties on Friday

New Delhi, 08 Dzulqa’dah 1437/11 August 2016 (MINA) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with all political parties on Friday on the Kashmir unrest, Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, thehindu.com reported.

The House also passed a unanimous resolution appealing to the people of the Kashmir Valley to restore peace and harmony, adding that there “cannot be any compromise on national security”.

Asserting that security forces were asked to show “maximum restraint” in using pellet guns against protesters, Mr. Singh was non-committal on their immediate withdrawal as demanded by several members during the eight-hour discussion on Kashmir.

On reports that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had moved the United Nations for a plebiscite in Kashmir, he said: “No power on earth can snatch Kashmir from us. We will not speak to them [Pakistan] on Kashmir, we will speak to them on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.”

He said Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were issuing threats to family members of security forces and civil administration officials in the Valley. He also said slogans of “Pakistan Zindabad” would not be tolerated on Indian soil.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full.

The two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)