Kamal Haasan calls for 'plebiscite' in Kashmir, later claims quoted out of context

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has stoked a controversy on Monday by allegedly batting for a "plebiscite" in Jammu and Kashmir and also referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as "Azad Kashmir", in remarks which he later claimed were taken out of context by a section of the media.

Kamal Haasan. Photo: PTI

CHENNAI: Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has stoked a controversy on Monday by allegedly batting for a "plebiscite" in Jammu and Kashmir and also referring to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as "Azad Kashmir", in remarks which he later claimed were taken out of context by a section of the media. “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 at an event in Chennai while replying to a question related to the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. “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 beings the new political culture,” the actor further said. Talking at length about Kashmir and problems plaguing in the region, Haasan said that if India and Pakistan “behave well”, the Line of Control (LoC) will be under check. “Has the civilisation not learnt this in the past 10 years? Why should a soldier die? Why should our house watchman die? If politicians from both sides behave properly, there is no need for a soldier to die. The Line of Control will be under control. You have been tampering constantly. You want to know what centrism...pulling towards to the right and left. Don't do it,” he said. The actor also recalled that he had written about the future of Kashmir when he was running a magazine, Maiyam. "I truly regret 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." "I mourn this day because I forecasted that this is what will happen, unfortunately, I should have predicted something else," he said. Later, Kamal Haasan’s party, Makkal Needhi Maiam, has issued a clarification claiming his words were taken out of context by an English news channel. "Makkal Needhi Maiam strongly condemns the report which has completely twisted the words of our party president Kamal Haasan out of context. Our president and our party stand shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces in this hour of grief," the MNM said in a statement.

Makkal Needhi Maiam statement on the report carried by Times Now.@TimesNow @RShivshankar pic.twitter.com/Q0J5YyJA4E

— Makkal Needhi Maiam | மக்கள் நீதி மய்யம் (@maiamofficial) February 18, 2019

"The references made in the English News channel report were mentioned by our party president in the context of a magazine article published three decades ago about an option that was available at one point in time of history. This is no longer relevant and is in no way an indication of his position or party’s position today," it said.