"India is the legal owner of JK, needs to build its own narrative": EFSAS Director Junaid Qureshi

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], September 4 (ANI): The European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) has commenced operations successful Srinagar, with its Director Junaid Qureshi outlining the deliberation tank's absorption connected terrorism, Indo-Pak relations, and Jammu and Kashmir.

He further stressed the value of gathering a nationalist narrative, stating, 'India is the ineligible proprietor of J&K and needs to physique its ain narrative.'

Speaking connected the institute's work, Qureshi said, 'Our deliberation vessel has been moving connected coercion for the past 12 years, particularly Indo-Pak relations and J&K...Since Kashmir has been a unfortunate of terrorism, I wanted to bash probe connected it.' He added that determination needs to beryllium 'foundational grounds and data-based research' and emphasised the value of bringing the younker connected board.

Addressing the challenges faced by young people, Qureshi remarked, 'The younker contiguous are confused. It needs to cognize definite things.' His comments came against the backdrop of his accordant interventions connected coercion and determination security.

In this context, Qureshi had besides powerfully criticised the alleged atomic menace made by Pakistan's Army Chief General Asim Munir during a sojourn to the United States, calling it 'foolish' and 'irresponsible.'

In an exclusive interrogation with ANI, helium said that if the reported statements--suggesting Pakistan could 'wipe retired fractional of the world'--were true, they reflected a unsafe level of recklessness successful the country's subject leadership. 'I see it a precise irresponsible remark,' Qureshi stated. 'By threatening fractional of the world, helium is doing a large disservice to Pakistan.'

He emphasised that specified declarations besides exceeded the law authorization of Pakistan's subject leaders, pointing retired that, astatine slightest theoretically, the powerfulness to authorise the usage of atomic weapons rests with the civilian government. 'The wide volition not find erstwhile to deploy atomic weapons; that is simply a determination for the civilian administration,' helium elaborated.

Turning to Pakistan's narration with the United States, Qureshi argued that caller diplomatic goodwill towards Islamabad was much astir US strategical interests than astir India-Pakistan relations, peculiarly successful the discourse of Iran and China. 'Historically, Pakistan has functioned arsenic a proxy for the US wrong this area,' helium claimed, adding that Washington whitethorn beryllium seeking to usage Pakistan to counterbalance Iran portion weakening its adjacent ties with China.

He besides accused Pakistan of fostering extremism, stating, 'Pakistan has been progressive successful supporting coercion internationally. There is nary question astir that.' Qureshi cited acknowledgements from Pakistani officials, including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, astir Islamabad's relation since the Afghan struggle--first connected behalf of the West and aboriginal arsenic portion of its 'strategic depth' argumentation against India and Afghanistan.

According to him, Islamabad has agelong played a 'double game,' taking US assistance portion simultaneously backing violent groups for its strategical aims and warring them erstwhile they turned against the state. 'The West has been alert of this concern for a agelong time,' helium noted, 'but it has maintained a adjacent narration with Pakistan due to the fact that it aligns with their determination interests.'

Warning of the consequences of this renewed engagement, Qureshi cautioned that Pakistan mightiness consciousness emboldened to escalate coercion successful Jammu and Kashmir. He linked imaginable unrest to broader geopolitical strategies, suggesting that China benefits by keeping India distracted militarily and politically successful Kashmir portion tensions persist connected the eastbound front.

As evidence, helium cited the caller violent onslaught successful Pahalgam--the archetypal specified large incidental successful years--which helium said was linked to Pakistan and intended to undermine Kashmir's bid and economy. 'Tourism is declining, coercion is connected the rise, and the Kashmiris yet carnivore the consequences,' Qureshi expressed regretfully.

He underlined that mean Kashmiris should not beryllium blamed for this violence, which helium described arsenic 'imported from elsewhere' and orchestrated by Pakistan. 'Mr Modi's inaugural of boosting tourism portion reducing coercion has been jeopardised by these attacks,' helium remarked, pointing to the summation successful targeted killings and assaults connected non-Muslims successful the region.

On the broader Kashmir issue, Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan would proceed to propulsion for third-party mediation, peculiarly from the US. However, helium argued that specified efforts are improbable to win without India's consent. While predicting intensified lobbying and advocacy connected Kashmir successful Western circles, helium maintained that enforceable mediation remains improbable owed to India's longstanding opposition. (ANI)