Restore J&K statehood: Karan Singh

Former J&K Governor and former Union minister Karan Singh on Saturday demanded restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

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“You (the Centre) used to say we (J&K) are the crown of the country. Now have we fallen below even Himachal and Haryana? We have become a UT? No one can digest this, neither the Dogras nor the Kashmiris,” Karan Singh said while talking about his fictional book ‘The Temple of Shiva’ at an event here.

He said everyone in J&K wanted resumption of statehood. ”And they (the Centre) have promised they will give it in due course. They have even told the Supreme Court that they will restore statehood. They have not said clearly when they will do it,” Karan Singh said.

A Padma Vibhushan awardee, who also served as the country’s ambassador to the US, Karan Singh, said with the Assembly elections having been held in J&K, the Centre should restore the statehood now.

“I must say the elections were fair. Everybody witnessed that. After a long time the elections were free and fair. So that is one good thing that happened,” he said.

Karan Singh said the election results showed “political divide” was more pronounced between Jammu and Kashmir now.

“As expected the National Conference won the majority. All Hindu (majority) seats were won by the BJP. There is a sort of a clear communal divide, although there is no hostility or tension, but (there is) a political divide between Kashmir and Jammu. It has always been there, but this time it is little more pronounced.”

Karan Singh said it was in 1846 that the state of J&K was founded after his ancestor Maharaja Gulab Singh signed the Treaty of Amritsar with the British.

“I completed 75 years of my public life last year. My first appointment was at the age of 18... I speak about J&K… it is a very painful thing. It is so terrible. So many terrible things happened in J&K. Terrorism… some people lost their lives. Young Kashmiri Muslims died. Kashmiri Pandits had to leave. It was big tragedy because they are most educated and sophisticated community in India,” he said.