Engineer Rashid slams BJP, Congress over ‘double standards’ on Kashmir
‘Dialogue for Ladakh, pellets for Kashmir,’ says MP in Lok Sabha
New Delhi : Member of Parliament from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Engineer Abdul Rashid on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on both the BJP and the Congress in lower house of Indian parliament, Lok Sabha, accusing successive governments of adopting “double standards” in dealing with protests and public dissent in the different parts of the occupied territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Rashid drew a direct comparison between the New Delhi’s engagement with Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk and its handling of Kashmir, questioning the Modi government’s selective outreach to protesters.
“It is encouraging that the Modi government chose dialogue with protesting students and persuaded Sonam Wangchuk to end his fast. But why has a similar approach never been adopted in Kashmir?” Rashid asked. He referred to the killing of civilian auto driver Arif Hussain in Bhadarwah and said Indian Minister Jitendra Singh should have visited the bereaved family in his constituency instead of offering juice to Wangchuk to end his fast.
The MP from Baramulla further said that governments led by both Congress and BJP responded to the 2010 and 2016 uprisings in Kashmir with force rather than dialogue. Citing the widespread use of pellet guns during those periods, he said hundreds of young Kashmiris suffered life-altering eye injuries.
“Dialogue for Ladakh, pellets for Kashmir — this is the double standard of India,” Rashid said, questioning why different yardsticks were applied to protests in different parts of the territory.
