'We Can Criticize Government Over Kashmir, But Outside India, We Are One': Congress MP Shashi Tharoor

Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor on Monday said that opposition parties are united against Pakistan and backed the Prime Minister’s stand on the Kashmir Issue at the United Nations.

The three-time Thiruvananthapuram MP while speaking to the media, said, “Pakistan has no locus standi as far as India’s internal matters are concerned. We are in Opposition, we can criticise the government in the country over Kashmir, but outside India, we are one.”

Tharoor also targeted the Islamic nation on changing the internal status of Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir in the past, reported Times of India. “What they are trying to accuse us of today, they have done that on their side in the past. They changed the status of Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir. They, therefore, have no right to point fingers at us,” he said.

His statement came in the backdrop of Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s Geneva visit where he will raise the Kashmir issue at the 42nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Tharoor, however, added that the opposition parties will continue to raise its voice against the troubles faced by the Kashmiris due to complete lockdown by the Centre.

“We must understand that the ordeals faced by our Kashmiri brethren are real. The people were left without internet and telephones. Parents could not talk with their children. Political leaders were detained; Farooq Abdullah, an elected MP, was not allowed to attend meetings. We have raised these issues in the Parliament and will continue to raise them inside the country,” he said.

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