Jammu: Senior CPI(M) leader and MLA M Y Tarigami today said the problem of Jammu and Kashmir has been there since accession of the state to the Indian union and its political nature cannot be overlooked.

Tarigami was reacting to the statement of state Finance minister Haseeb Drabu who yesterday had said Jammu and Kashmir shouldnt be seen as a conflict state or a political problem, but as a society with social issues.

Criticising Drabu’s statement at an event in New Delhi, Tarigami said the facts reveal that the problem of Jammu and Kashmir has been there since accession of the state to the Indian union.

He said throughout the chequered history of past decades it has not been just a territorial dispute but a test of the secular, democratic and federal nature of the republic.

“The continued Indo-Pak confrontations resulting in wars between the two countries, cycles of violence and mass protests have sufficiently demonstrated

He said the lingering issue has created social, economic and cultural implications but essentially its political nature cannot be overlooked.

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