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At a private event organised by filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri in New York City on Saturday, 23 November, Indian Consul General to United States, Sandeep Chakravorty called for an Israel-like model for Kashmir.
The event attended by several Indian nationals, including Kashmiri Pandits, was organised to discuss the theme of the filmmaker’s upcoming project based on the forced displacement of Kashmiri Hindus in the early 1990s.
Speaking about the government’s move to abrogate Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August, the Consular General said that the Kashmiri Hindus will soon be able to head back home.
What is noteworthy is that the Consul General was speaking in his official capacity at the event attended by Bollywood actor Anupam Kher among other notable personalities. Parts of the event were also broadcast live on Facebook by Vivek Agnihotri.
The statement made by the Consul General comes in sharp contrast with the government’s claims of complete ‘normalcy’ in the Valley. Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have on multiple instances reiterated the fact that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is absolutely normal.
Speaking on the floor of Rajya Sabha on 20 November, Amit Shah assured that the government is constantly monitoring the situation.
Similarly, at numerous international platforms, S Jaishankar has repeatedly asserted that the situation in Kashmir is normal and all restrictions will be rolled back soon.
However, the Consul General’s comments endorsing an Israel-like model in Kashmir paints a different picture. The Israel-Palestine conflict has been one the longest-running and most controversial conflicts of the world. The Modi government since day 1 has maintained that situation in Kashmir should not be compared with the humanitarian crisis in Palestine.
On 5 August, the Indian government abrogated Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir, and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories.
Many people took to social media to call out the Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty for his comments claiming that he sidelined the cause of 8 million Kashmiri Muslims.
Coming out in his defence, Sandeep Chakravorty took to Twitter to say that his remarks were being taken out of context.
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