Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shahnawaz Hussain on Friday slammed political trend-watcher Tehseen Poonawalla for his tweet, which suggested that India should recognize the Prime Minister of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), saying that the statement is pro-Pakistan and is intended to cheat the country.
"We have celebrated India's Independence Day. Today, when we are immersed in celebrating our independence, he, who is Congress- leaning, is making a statement that India must recognize the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir or Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. It is very unfortunate; it is a conspiracy against India; it is a pro-Pakistan statement," Hussain said.
Hussain also urged Congress President Sonia Gandhi to take action on the Poonawalla's tweet, as it is offensive to the people of the country and its history.
"Congress President Sonia Gandhi must make a note of it and take action accordingly. No one has the right to call Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, which India still considers its own, which the Parliament passed a resolution towards so that we understand that it is a part of us, which Pakistan has occupied by deceit-by asking that India should recognize that Kashmir's Prime Minister, the Congress spokesperson has cheated the country," Hussain said.
On Thursday, Congress-leaning political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla had used the micro-blogging website, Twitter, to voice a string of controversial statements with regard to POK, Jammu and Kashmir and the AFSPA.
"India must recognize the Vazir-e-Azam or Prime Minister of Azad or Pak occupied Kashmir," Poonawalla tweeted.
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"Pakistan must continue to recognize the elected members on the Indian side who represent the voice of their people in the Kashmir assembly," Poonawalla said on the micro-blogging website.
"India on her part can give the state of Jammu and Kashmir all the autonomy, even outside the constitution but NOT outside the Indian union.... This must be understood very clearly by Pakistan." he added.
"India can begin the process right away by withdrawing the terrible terrible inhuman law of AFSPA," Poonawalla said.
"In democracies such as ours there is no place for such draconian laws like AFSPA," he added on Twitter.