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If given a choice, Kashmiri people would want independence: Cong veteran Saifuddin Soz agrees with Musharraf

The former union minister agreed with Pervez Musharraf

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Congress veteran leader and former union minister Saifuddin Soz on Friday said he agreed with former Pakistan President Pervez Musharaff on the statement that if Kashmiris were given the chance to exercise their free will, they would prefer to be independent.

Speaking to ANI, he said, “Musharraf said Kashmiris don't want to merge with Pakistan, their first choice is independence. The statement was true then and remains true now also. I say the same but I know that it is not possible.”

Soz claimed that the then Musharraf had shared this view with his top colleagues (both in the army and outside) in the Pakistani establishment in 2007, when Manmohan Singh was preparing to visit Islamabad for a decisive summit with him.

The Shiv Sena meanwhile lashed out at Soz's remark. Party spokesperson Manish Kayande said, "The Congress President needs to reply on Saifuddin Soz's statement & if Congress vouches for his statement. If he (Saifuddin Soz) has so much affection for Pakistan & Musharraf then he should consider migrating to Pakistan and become his servant."

Last year, Soz blamed India, not Pakistan for the problems in Jammu and Kashmir. Later, he defended his controversial statement saying, "Autonomy had been enshrined in the Constitution of India The conditional accession to India had been expanded by adding subjects. SK Abdullah led the delegation and talked to Nehru. Between Nehru and Abdullah was the agreement that gave comprehensive autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir. Delhi governmentt unilaterally eroded that 370 (Article) and created the problem."

Last year, he had also courted controversy by saying that he would have held a dialogue with Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani if he was not killed by security forces in 2016.

While talking to a TV news channel, Soz had said,”Burhani Wani should have stayed alive so that I could have had a dialogue with him. I would have explained to him that Kashmir can become a strong bridge of friendship between India and Pakistan and he (Wani) could also be of help (in achieving it). But he is dead now.”

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