Pakistan's Army Chief calls Kashmir its 'jugular vein', India rejects claim

Islamabad/New Delhi: Terming Kashmir as the "jugular vein" of Pakistan, the country's Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif on Wednesday said the issue should be resolved in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiris and in line with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions for lasting peace in the region.

Addressing the main ceremony to mark the 'Youm-e-Shuhada' (Martyrs' Day) at GHQ Rawalpindi, Gen Sharif said Kashmir was an internationally recognised dispute. "Matchless sacrifices offered by Kashmiris will not go in vain," he said.

The resolution of the Kashmir issue is "indispensable" for lasting peace in the region, he said. "Pakistan Army is in favour of peace but is always ready to respond to any aggression in befitting manner," he said.

Pakistan has often described Kashmir as the "jugular vein" but this is the first time Gen Sharif has used the term or spoken about Kashmir since taking over late last year.

Setting aside their differences over electoral politics, Congress and BJP on Thursday sharply reacted to Pakistan Army Chief's statement on Kashmir, saying the Valley is an "inalienable part of India".

"The fact is that Kashmir is an inalienable part of India," Union minister and Congress leader Manish Tewari said, rejecting Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif's claim that Kashmir is a "jugular vein" of Pakistan..

"In fact, the real issue is that Pakistan is in illegal occupation of large parts of Jammu and Kashmir," Tewari said. Condemning Gen Sharif's statement, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "This kind of exuberance by Pakistan Army chief is totally unacceptable."

"India knows how to handle its own strategic imperatives and requirements. But this is a case of gross interference. In this line, this kind of statement coming is grossly unfair, unwarranted.I condemn it on behalf of BJP and surely this time the foreign affairs minister with Government of India must take suitable appropriate response in this connection," Prasad said.

Addressing a ceremony to mark the Martyrs' Day at Army headquarters in Rawalpindi yesterday, Sharif had claimed that Kashmir was an internationally recognised dispute and stated that the issue should be resolved in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiris and in line with UNSC resolutions for lasting peace in the region.