Why is India afraid of holding plebiscite in Kashmir? asks Kamal Haasan

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Kamal Haasan

Tamil superstar-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Monday asked why the government of India was not holding a plebiscite in Kashmir, asking what the government was ‘afraid of’.

While referring to the current situation in Kashmir, Haasan said that if India wanted to prove that it is a “better country”, then it should “not behave like this.”

In response to a question on Pulwama attack in which 49 CRPF personnel were killed last Thursday, Haaan said that he regrets when people say army men are going to Kashmir to die.

“The army itself is an old fashioned thing. Like how the world changed, How we decided that humans will not kill each other for food, likewise a time will come to stop fighting. Has the civilisation not learnt this in the past 10 years?” Haasan said while addressing a gathering in Chennai.

The Sadma actor claimed that he had forecast what is happening in Kashmir now.

“When I was running a magazine called ‘Maiyam’ I have written about Kashmir issue and what is expected. I mourn this day because I forecasted that this is what will happen, unfortunately, I should have predicted something else. Hold plebiscite and make people talk…why have they not conducted it? What are they scared of? They want to divide the nation that’s all. Why don’t you ask them again? They won’t do it? Now it (Kashmir) belongs to India, the same situation prevails across the border,” Haasan said.

“In Azad Kashmir, they are using Jihadi’s pictures in trains to portray them as heroes, that is also a foolish thing to do. India also behaves with an equal amount of foolishness, it’s not fair. If we want to prove that India is a far better country, then we should not behave like this. There begins the politics, there begins the new political culture,” he added.