Foreign policy is in national interest, no contradiction there: Vivek Tankha on former J&K CM's remark

Bhopal, Oct 24: Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha Member from Congress Vivek Tankha on Thursday said that there should be "no contradiction in foreign policy" as it is in the interest of the country.

He said that the foreign policy is decided by the Parliament and that there is no contradiction between the ruling and Opposition parties when the subject is national interest.

Tankha made this statement in response to PDP President Mehbooba Mufti's assertion that the Centre should initiate dialogue with Pakistan. On Wednesday, she had said the citizens of J&K are suffering due to hostility between the two neighbours.

Responding to the former J&K CM's statement, Tankha said that she might have made this statement to take advantage of the ongoing situation as Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has recently visited Pakistan.

"I think Mehbooba Mufti must be aware of the ongoing situation (S. Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan) and as a representative of the party, she might have made such a statement to take advantage of the situation," Tankha told IANS.

He added that the statement of any individual, however, is not going to affect J&K's situation. "J&K is a very complicated and historical issue and individual leaders' statement is not going bring any change in it," he added.

Tankha also said the political parties will come and go, but the country's foreign policy will remain in the interest of the country. "Foreign policy is always in the interest of country and there is no contradiction on it," Tankha stated.

On Wednesday, former J&K CM Mufti, who visited the residence of Dr Shahnawaz Dar, who was killed by terrorists in Kashmir's Ganderbal district on October 20, said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are stuck between the enmity of the two countries.

"The people of Jammu and Kashmir are stuck between the enmity of two countries, their lives, property, everything is getting ruined. Our poor labourers have also become victims of this. Till the time these countries do not sit together and adopt the path of reconciliation with each other, as happened during the time of Vajpayee ji, such incidents will keep happening," she had said.