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Updated August 13th, 2022 at 15:42 IST

KT Jaleel issues 'inverted commas' defense for ‘Azad Kashmir’ remark; coy on editing post

Jaleel, who faced the heat of many, tried shutting them down with a single statement, saying, he has 'only sympathy' for those who 'failed to understand'.

Reported by: Sudeshna Singh
KT Jaleel
Image: Facebook | Image:self
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A day after landing in soup for describing Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) as 'Azad Kashmir' in a Facebook post, former Union Minister KT Jaleel defended his post on social media on Saturday. Jaleel, who faced the heat of many, tried shutting them down with a single statement, saying, he has 'only sympathy' for those who 'failed to understand' the meaning of his remarks. 

"I only have sympathy towards those who cannot understand the meaning when I wrote Azad Kashmir in double inverted comma," the Indian Politician from Kerala said, while remaining coy on why he later edited it to PoK.

KT Jaleel lands in soup for describing PoK as 'Azad Kashmir'

The Thavanur MLA  had gone on a visit to Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh recently. Sharing pictures, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM) leader described in detail his time in the region.

On PoK, the close associate of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote, “The part of Kashmir, which was annexed to Pakistan, came to be known as ‘Azad Kashmir’. It is an area where the Government of Pakistan has no direct influence. Only currency and military aid are under Pakistan’s control. Azad Kashmir had its own army. When Zia-ul-Haq was the president of Pakistan, the unified army became the common army of Azad Kashmir. In short, the Government of Pakistan does not have any significant powers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir administratively.”

The post, which was highlighted by the Republic Media Network, drew flak from all corners. Speaking to the channel, BJP leader Sandeep Varier said that he was not shocked by the 'Azad Kashmir' post, claiming that Jaleel was associated with SIMI, the Muslim League, before joining the Left party.  

The leader, based in Kerala, underlined that India’s official position is Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and further claimed that the Thavanur MLA was trying to 'whitewash the image' of the Shehbaz Sharif-led country. Criticising the post, Kerala BJP president K. Surendran said that Dr. Jaleel should be booked for sedition. 

Minutes after the newsbreak, the CPIM MLA edited his post by replacing "Azad Kashmir" with "Pakistan-occupied Kashmir".

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Published August 13th, 2022 at 15:33 IST

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