GOVERNMENT HAS CREATED TROUBLE BY RELEASING ABDULLAH

Summary

This one-page Gujarat Samachar report, dated 18 March 1964, presents K. M. Munshi’s criticism of the Government’s decision to release Sheikh Abdullah and withdraw its case. Munshi argues that Kashmir cannot constitutionally be separated from India and says that, following accession under the Constitution, there is no scope for a separate popular verdict. He points to three elections in which Kashmiris, he says, accepted unity with India.

The report also highlights divisions within the Swatantra Party: Rajaji and Minoo Masani welcomed Sheikh Abdullah’s release and supported an independent Kashmir and the people’s verdict, while Munshi described the release as a deliberate creation of trouble. In a final assessment of central governance after the Prime Minister’s illness, Munshi argues that the Central Government is not becoming stronger and lacks the power to resolve the difficult questions before it.

Key points

• K. M. Munshi says the Government deliberately created trouble by releasing Sheikh Abdullah and withdrawing its case.
• Munshi argues that Kashmir cannot constitutionally be separated from India.
• He maintains that Kashmir’s accession to India leaves no scope for a separate popular verdict.
• The report contrasts Munshi’s position with Rajaji’s and Minoo Masani’s support for Sheikh Abdullah’s release and an independent Kashmir.
• Munshi says three elections in Kashmir had accepted unity with India.
• He characterizes the Central Government as weak and unable to resolve the difficult questions before it.