Rahul Gandhi’s Kashmir Balancing Act Invites Nehru Taunt from Pakistan Minister

New Delhi: Pakistan minister Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his apparent attempt to limit political damage after his remarks on the Kashmir situation were quoted by Islamabad in a letter to the United Nations.

Taking to Twitter, Chaudhry, Pakistan’s minister for science and technology, said Gandhi’s politics was suffering from confusion and advised the Congress leader to take inspiration from his great great grandfather and India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

“Biggest problem of your politics is Confusion, take a stance closer to reality, stand tall like your great great grandfather who is a symbol of Indian Secularism and liberal thinking (sic),” he said, adding in a verse from noted poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s Subhe-e-Azadi.

Earlier on Wednesday, Gandhi said Kashmir is India's internal issue and slammed Pakistan for instigating and supporting violence in Jammu and Kashmir. His statement came after the Congress hit out at Pakistan for "mischievously" dragging the name of Rahul Gandhi in its alleged petition moved in the United Nations to justify its "lies" and misinformation on Jammu and Kashmir.

The opposition leader said that though he disagrees with the government on many issues, he is clear that Kashmir is an internal issue and there is no room for Pakistan to interfere in it.

"I disagree with this Govt. on many issues. But, let me make this absolutely clear: Kashmir is India's internal issue and there is no room for Pakistan or any other foreign country to interfere in it," he said on Twitter.

"There is violence in Jammu & Kashmir. There is violence because it is instigated and supported by Pakistan which is known to be the prime supporter of terrorism across the world," he added.

The party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the "Congress has noticed reports citing an alleged petition moved by Pakistani Government to United Nations on Jammu & Kashmir, wherein name of Shri Rahul Gandhi has been mischievously dragged to justify the pack of lies and deliberate misinformation being spread by Pakistan."

"Let no one in the world be in doubt that Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and shall always remain an integral part of India. No amount of diabolical deception by Pakistan shall change this irrevocable truth," Surjewala said in a statement.

Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the government over the Kashmir situation and had said last week that the opposition and the press got a taste of the "draconian administration" and "brute force" unleashed on the people there when they tried to visit Srinagar.

A delegation of opposition leaders, including Gandhi, which wanted to visit the Valley to take stock of the situation after the withdrawal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, was not allowed to leave the Srinagar airport on Saturday last by the state administration and had to return to the national capital.

The visit was organised a day after the Jammu and Kashmir government issued a statement asking political leaders to not visit the Valley as it would disturb the gradual restoration of peace and normal life.