This Article is From Apr 15, 2017

Resolving Kashmir Issue Not Easy, Says Manohar Parrikar

Resolving Kashmir Issue Not Easy, Says Manohar Parrikar

Manohar Parrikar said resolving the Kashmir issue needed a long-term policy.

Highlights

  • Delhi not my area of operations, felt under pressure there: Parrikar
  • Need a long-term policy to resolve Kashmir issue, says Parrikar
  • Parrikar sworn in as the Goa chief minister for fourth time last month
Panaji: The Kashmir conundrum is not an easy issue to resolve and only a long-term policy can tackle it, Goa Chief Minister and former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Friday.

Mr Parrikar also said that there was a lot of pressure on him when he was serving as the Defence Minister in the national capital.

"It is not easy to resolve the Kashmir issue. There is a need for a long-term policy to resolve the Kashmir issue," Mr Parrikar said at the 126th birth anniversary celebration of Babasaheb Ambedkar here.

He also said that New Delhi wasn't a place he got habituated to.

"Delhi is not my place. It is not the place I am habituated to. There was a lot of pressure on me," Mr Parrikar said.

Mr Parrikar said that discussions, especially in the media, can be a "spoiler" vis-a-vis implementation of objectives.

"I feel, there are some things where discussions should be minimum. But things need to be made to happen. Discussions can be a spoiler," he added.

Speaking about the media which asked him a few questions about resolving the Kashmir issue, the former Defence Minister said: "Do you want this thing to happen, or do you want it to become news?"

He said discussions bring to the fore multiple opinions, which can prove to be a hindrance in decision-making.

"If you want it to happen, do not discuss it too much in the news. When there is a discussion, one person says one thing, while someone else says something else," Mr Parrikar said.
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