Kashmir Issue: The question always arises that how did Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru come up with the idea of taking the issue of Kashmir to the United Nations (UNO)?

The question always arises that how did Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru come up with the idea of taking the issue of Kashmir to the United Nations (UNO)? The answer to this question could not be found yet. Now the curtain has been lifted. This information has been given in the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR)'s new research and textbook on the history of Kashmir 'Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh: Through the Ages'. This book has been published by the National Book Trust.

It is told in this book that when the problem arose due to infiltration in Kashmir and subsequent military activities, Pandit Nehru met Pakistani Prime Minister Liaquat Ali late on the night of December 21, 1947. The meeting took place at the New Delhi Government House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan). Just before that meeting, Pandit Nehru met Lord Mountbatten. During that time Mountbatten had said that if we can compromise then India's prestige will increase. According to the book, on his own pressure and advice, Pandit Nehru took the issue of Kashmir to the UN.

What did Amit Shah say?

The book was released by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday. Talking about Kashmir's relationship with the rest of India, the home minister said India is the only country in the world which is geo-cultural and whose boundaries are formed by its culture. India can only be understood from the Indian perspective, not from the geopolitical perspective. He said that from the 'Silk Route' to Central Asia and from the Shankaracharya Temple to the Hemis Monastery; And from trade to spirituality, both have a strong base in the culture of Kashmir.

Shah said Article 370 gave a wrong impression that integration of Kashmir with India was temporary. "Many people often ask me what is the connection between Article 370 and terrorism. They don't know that Article 370 sowed seeds of separatism in the minds of the youth of the Valley," he said. Why are those areas not affected by terrorism?" he asked.

"Some people say Kashmir is close to Pakistan's border, that's why there is a problem here," he said. Rajasthan is also close to the border with Pakistan. Why is there no terrorism there?" he asked.

Shah said Article 370 gave a wrong impression that integration of Kashmir with India was temporary and it sowed seeds of separatism, which later morphed into terrorism.

"Unfortunately, more than 40,000 lives have been lost due to militancy in Kashmir. "The Modi government has not only eliminated terrorism in Kashmir but also destroyed the terror infrastructure," he said.

Shah said that the development of Kashmir was delayed for decades, there was bloodshed in Kashmir for years and the country had to watch all this silently.

"After the abrogation of Article 370, there has been 70 per cent reduction in incidents of terrorism in Kashmir and this has proved that Article 370 gave rise to terrorism. In 2018, there were 2,100 incidents of stone-pelting in Kashmir, but in 2024, there was not a single incident of stone-pelting.

The home minister claimed that even when this article was brought (in the Constitution), people did not want it. He said that even in the Constituent Assembly, the majority did not want Article 370 to be a part of the Constitution, but it became a part of the Constitution.

Fortunately, some visionaries thought it necessary to write it as a temporary provision, Shah said. "But things that are artificial and not natural don't last long. Due to the strong will power of Prime Minister Modi, Article 370 was abolished on August 5, 2019. Modi has worked to end a dark chapter in the history of independent India.