Srinagar: Naeem Akhtar, the official spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir government has said that China has ‘veritably’ adopted Masood Azhar, who leads the militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad and the country in on its way to assume a ‘much bigger role’ in Kashmir, reported the Indian Express.
“Unlike earlier, the great game is literally being played inside Kashmir,” Akhtar told The Indian Express. “The Kashmir issue isn’t limited to the fight between India and Pakistan now. There is another major factor involved.
He further added, “It isn’t Pakistan alone, it is China too. General (Bipin Rawat) said that the Army is ready to fight on both fronts. But there aren’t two fronts anymore. Now it is one single front, circling around. From Bhutan to Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Valley to Jammu, Sri Lanka and Maldives, it is all one front. Pakistan and China aren’t separate”.
Akhtar while claiming that JeM leader Masood Azhar has been ‘adopted’ by China, talking to Pakistan at this point is in national interest.
“All the big attacks inside J&K or even outside during last more than three years are attributed to Jaish-e-Mohammad, a group led by Masood Azhar,” said Akhtar. “How can one not see that he (Masood Azhar) has been adopted by China? There are reports of some action taken against Hafiz Saeed. What about Masood Azhar? Even a lesser figure like Salahudin has been listed as a global terrorist in UN but the great wall of China has been erected around Azhar,” he said.
“China has been regularly vetoing attempts to designate him (Azhar) as a terrorist in United Nations. Such things don’t happen without reason. Why only him? Why not others? Why didn’t China block such moves in UN against other people? The China connection needs to be understood,” Akhtar pointed out.
“At this point, talking to Pakistan and initiating policies of reconciliation inside Kashmir is in the national interest. It is in our national interest that Pakistan doesn’t get irretrievably sucked up by China,’’ he said. “And when we say talk to Pakistan, we are addressing our own Central government because they have to take that step. We aren’t seeking anything from anybody other than the central government. That’s our right”.
