Mehbooba rejects third-party mediation in Kashmir issue
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti dismissed the suggestion of senior National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah that India should approach third parties — such as the US and China — to mediate the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan.
Mehbooba said the dialogue must be held between India and Pakistan.
“I think we have a map: despite wars we have to talk to each other; India and Pakistan. We have done Lahore Declaration and Shimla Agreement. We need to sit together and talk,” she told the media.
Kashmir has been a festering dispute between India and Pakistan since shortly after their Independence.
“Let America and China mind their businesses. We know wherever America intervened; see (what has happened) in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. China has its own knotty issues to solve in Tibet,” she said, suggesting that such intervention usually leads to a worse outcome.
“What will America, Turkistan or Englistan (England) do for us? There are many bigger issues across the world, which have worsened. What happened in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq? God forbid, (but) does Farooq sahab want the same thing happen to us?” she said.
The Jammu and Kashmir CM said on Friday that the press needs to ensure correct portrayal of happenings in the state and alleged that a section of media was “alienating” people of J&K by indulging in reportage which was “far from reality”.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought information from the UK authorities in connection with its probe into the alleged corrupt dealings during the 2008 aircraft deal between the defence ministry and Brazilian firm Embraer.
The development has come after investigators came across evidence pointing towards an “agreement” signed in 2002-03 between Embraer and a Londonbased firm allegedly associated with NRI defence consultant Vipin Khanna, sources said.
According to the agreement, London-based firm Cleveden Limited was supposed to aid Embraer’s bid to get defence contracts, including $210 milliondeal for purchase of three Embraer-145 aircraft by India. In return, Khanna was supposed to be paid a commission.
According to sources, CBI has found out that the said agreement was then locked away in a vault in London. CBI has now sent a judicial request to UK seeking details of the agreement.
Investigations so far suggest that under the said agreement, Cleveden through Khanna was supposed to aid Embraer’s bid in getting defence contracts with a deadline set to 2005. However, when the same was not achieved there was a fall out between Khanna and Embraer.
“Probe into the 2006 oil for food scam , in which Khanna was being probed, further deteriorated their relations. But when the MOU was signed between Indian government and Embraer in 2008, Khanna demanded that the commission be paid,” a source told HT.