New Delhi | Veteran Congress leader Saifuddin Soz on Monday claimed that the first Home Minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhai Patel had offered Kashmir to Pakistan in exchange of Hyderabad.
While speaking at his book launch, the Former Union Minister said, “Sardar Patel was a pragmatist and offered Kashmir to Liaquat Ali Khan (then Pak PM). He told him ‘don’t talk of Hyderabad, talk Kashmir; take Kashmir but don’t talk of Hyderabad’ as Khan was preparing for war and Patel wasn’t.”
Senior leader like Jairam Ramesh, Arun Shourie attended the launch of Soz’s book titled Kashmir: Glimpses of History and the Story of Struggle. However, the Congress party has asked its leader to stay away from the book launch. P Chidambaram who was supposed to launch the book stayed away from the event after Party’s decision.
Earlier Saifuddin Soz stated that Musharraf’s assessment of Kashmir ‘seems to be correct even today.’ “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,” he told media.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
