Kashmir’s accession with India a settled issue: Panun Kashmir

Panun Kashmir, an organisation for displaced Kashmiri Pandits, today rejected the demands for grant of greater autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the accession of the state with the Union of India is a “settled issue”.

“Accession of the state with the Union of India is a settled issue and events unfolding after 1971 Indo-Pak war and Shimla agreement have extinguished demands for the Independence

and autonomy chapters,” president, Panun Kashmir, Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo told reporters here.

“Both autonomy and pre-1953 status are fundamentally retrogressive steps aimed at taking the state to the medieval times,” Chrungoo said.

The ruling NC has been demanding greater autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir. It wants that areas of constitutional authority other than defence, external affairs and communications should be restored to the state.

He said the policy, formulated by the state government and the Centre two year back for the rehabilitation of surrendered terrorists, is “highly flawed” and fraught with dangerous consequences.

“There seem to be no checks and balances and no coordination between various security agencies dealing with the situation”, Chrungoo said.

The recent killing of Panchs and Sarpanchs and attacks on the security forces can be a direct result of this “skewed” policy, the Panun Kashmir chief said.