Why should India discuss internal matters with Pak?: Manipur CM hits out at Mehbooba Mufti

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday slammed PDP president Mehbooba Mufti after she encouraged talks with Pakistan over the issue of Kashmir. Mufti had earlier there will be no peace in the region until the Kashmir issue is resolved and claimed that dialogue with Pakistan was the only way to solve this. 

"Why should the Indian government talk to Pakistan about Kashmir? It is an internal matter of India," tweeted N Biren Singh, dismissing her appeal. 

Responding to Republic Newsbreak, Manipur CM stated that Kashmir is an integral part of India and no outsider is needed to discuss internal matters of the country. 

Addressing a worker’s convention in Ramban on the last day of her week-long tour of Jammu, the PDP chief said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee have visited Pakistan and asked why do they (BJP) feel perturbed when we speak about holding dialogue with the neighbouring country.

Mehbooba Mufti echoes Pakistan's call for dialogue on Kashmir

Mufti alleged that the present government was oppressing voices by sending the youth to jails. Slamming BJP’s claim that everything would be set right after the abrogation of Article 370, she asked “if everything is alright in Kashmir, why is there need to deploy 10 lakh soldiers in Kashmir?”

The call for dialogue comes a day after Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was ready to resume talks with India only if it restores the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. 

"Pakistan is ready to maintain friendship with India, but only after it brings justice to Kashmiris. We will resume talks only after they restore the special status of Kashmir, which was illegally revoked on August 5, 2019," Khan had said at a public rally in Manshera.

Back in February, the Pakistani premier had said that the Kashmir issue was the 'main difference' between the two countries, and that Pakistan’s security concerns increased after India’s decision to scrap the special status of J&K.

India abrogated Article 370, Article 35A of the Constitution on August 5, 2019, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories - J&K and Ladakh. The move had irked Pakistan, which termed it a violation of international law.