NEW DELHI, Nov 28: India’s top diplomat in New York, Sandeep Chakravorty, the consul general created a controversy when a video emerged on Wednesday that showed him suggesting that the country emulate Israel’s example to ensure the return of Kashmiri Pandit refugees to Jammu & Kashmir.
“I believe the security conditions in Jammu & Kashmir will improve, it will allow the refugees to go back, and in your lifetime you will be able to go back and you will be able to visit your villages... and you will find security because we already have a model in the world.I don’t know why we don’t follow it. It has happened in the Middle East... if the Israeli people can do it, we can also do it. I think we should just follow from them and push our leadership. We have to push our leadership to do that, otherwise what is the benefit?. Somebody spoke about the Jewish issue and the Israel issue. They kept their culture alive for 2,000 years outside their land and they went back. I think we all have to keep the Kashmiri culture alive. The Kashmiri culture is the Indian culture, it is the Hindu culture.”
Political Experts said these remarks went against the Indian government’s official position that the situation in Kashmir cannot be compared to that in Palestine.(Inputs from Agencies)
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