US, China should mind their own business: J&K CM

US, China should 'mind their own business'

Ruling out any chances of third party intervention, J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Saturday rubbished opposition National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s statement in which he had asked New Delhi to approach US and China to mediate on Kashmir issue.

“There can be no place for a third party intervention in Jammu and Kashmir," she told reporters on the sidelines of a function in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Abdullah, also a former Chief Minister of J&K, had on Friday said that India should approach third parties, such as the US and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue. India has so many friends all over the world. They can ask them to act as a mediator. US President Trump himself said that he wants to settle Kashmir problem. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached,” he said.

While rejecting the US and Chinese intervention to mediate in Kashmir issue, Mehbooba said that those two foreign nations should “mind their own business.”

“We all know what is the situation of the countries wherever they intervened, be it Afghanistan, Syria or Iraq. Does Farooq Sahab want the same situation in Kashmir?” she said.

“China has its own problems to deal with in Tibet. We have a map here which is that we, India and Pakistan, have to talk even after war. We have to talk bilaterally and what can America, Turkey or England do with us,” the Chief Minister said.

Mehbooba added that both India and Pakistan have to respect the previous agreements to end the hostilities. “We should take forward Shimla and Lahore agreements the way our elder leaders like (former PM) Indira Gandhi and (former PM Atal Bihari) Vajpayee did,” she suggested.