Indian Govt Dismisses Obama “Rhetoric” on Kashmir

by | Nov 3, 2008

In a move that has riled up some members of India’s opposition parties, Barack Obama linked the tensions in Indian Kashmir with Pakistan’s clashes with militants along its border with Afghanistan, and suggested that “we should probably try to facilitate a better understanding between Pakistan and India and try to resolve the Kashmir crisis.”

A spokesman for India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned the Obama comments as “an unwarranted interference in India’s internal affairs.” The Indian government is attempting to downplay the statement however, with official sources saying it “could be pre-election rhetoric and needs to be ignored.”

India’s government has faced growing difficulties in containing separatist sentiments in the Muslim majority state, with police regularly resorting to violence to quell protests. The state government collapsed in July, and the national government has declined to set a date for new elections. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said he opposes external militant groups taking part in Kashmir violence, but he believes the Kashmiris are justified in using force to expel Indian forces from Kashmir.

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.

Join the Discussion!

We welcome thoughtful and respectful comments. Hateful language, illegal content, or attacks against Antiwar.com will be removed.

For more details, please see our Comment Policy.