Article 370 Gave An Impression That Kashmir Was Separate From Rest Of Country: Salman Khurshid’s Big Admission

Jakarta: Congress leader Salman Khurshid, part of an all-party delegation visiting various nations to present India's stance on its counter-terrorism operation Operation Sindoor following the Pahalgam terror attack, made a significant admission regarding Article 370.

While addressing Indonesian think tanks and academia in Jakarta, Indonesia, the former Minister of External Affairs stated, “Kashmir had a major problem for a long time. Much of that was reflected in the thinking of the government in an article called 370 of the Constitution, which somehow gave an impression that it was separate from the rest of the country.”

Khurshid further added, "But Article 370 was abrogated, bringing an end to that perception. Subsequently, elections were held, with a 65 per cent voter turnout, leading to an elected government in Kashmir today. Therefore, for people to want to undo everything that has happened, the prosperity that has come to Kashmir".

Speaking about their visit to Indonesia to put India’s stance forward on Operation Sindoor, Salman Khurshid and JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, who is leading the delegation said that the Indonesian side has been favourable towards the Indian side.

"Let me just say this, that the tone and tenor and the general direction of the questions that were asked and the discussion that happened was very rewarding, very satisfying, and this is consistent with what we heard from the government officials that we met yesterday. We met the Deputy Foreign Minister yesterday, members of parliament. Broadly speaking, the tone and tenor were the same," Salman Khurshid said.

He further talked about the brainstorming sessions with the Indonesian officials saying the think tanks asked us a lot of questions related to the terrorist attack in Kashmir.

“But of course, these were think tanks where they ask a lot of questions. They asked about our attitude on various other things that are happening in the world and how that could possibly be linked with our main concern, which relates to the terrorist attack in Kashmir, but I thought that it was very positive. I thought it was very supportive," Salman Khurshid added.

Khurshid continued speaking that on the issue of terrorism, there has been outright and determined support but they are interested in knowing the way forward.

“They also talked about giving us some actionable points, actionable points about FATF, etc and how we could collaborate on the international level. All those things were discussed, I believe that this was a very, very positive, very supportive discussion," Salman Khurshid mentioned.

India sends all party delegations to put its stance forward on counter-terror operations 

To present India’s stance on Operation Sindoor, the government constituted seven all-party delegations, tasked with explaining India’s counter-terror policy to multiple nations. The delegations aim to highlight:

• How Pakistan-backed terrorists targeted innocent civilians in Pahalgam.
• Why India’s response through Operation Sindoor was necessary to bring perpetrators, their handlers, and backers to justice.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharadchandra Pawar faction leader Supriya Sule, who is part of another all-party delegation, meanwhile spoke in South Africa, "We have come here to tell the people of South Africa what really happened in India five weeks ago. There was a brutal attack on India's soul—26 innocent people on vacation were shot. It is a very unfortunate incident."

She further emphasised India’s commitment to peace and global harmony, stating, “India has always worked toward peace, harmony, and growth in the neighbourhood. This attack shocked all of us. India has consistently led global efforts for peace, and given our deep historical ties with South Africa—the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, two champions of non-violence—we feel a special connection with this country."