J&K statehood only after attacks like Gagangir stop, says BJP's J&K general secretary Ashok Koul

BJP's J&K general secretary Ashok Koul on Thursday said that restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir has been promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, but will be done at an appropriate time when attacks like Gagangir, in which seven people were killed and five injured, won't take place.

Koul also asserted that dialogue with Pakistan is not possible till the time it stops supporting and spreading terrorism and doesn't hand over wanted terrorists like Syed Salahuddin to India.

"The PM and home minister have promised restoration of statehood. Central government and agencies here will decide when is the appropriate time to restore statehood and whether now is the time or not," Koul told reporters here on the sidelines of a function celebrating the birth anniversary of Pandit Prem Nath Dogra, founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh and BJP in Jammu.


"(Appropriate time is when) incidents like Gagangir don't happen and peace is restored completely," said Koul. He added if the attackers had not got the timing wrong, hundreds of people would have been killed there. He said the J&K CM has every right to put forth his point of view before the PM, HM and others as his Cabinet passed a resolution for restoration of statehood.