There should be referendum on PoK: Bhim Singh

Kolkata, Jul 16 (UNI) There should be a referendum on the entire Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party chairman Bhim Singh said here today.

Prof Singh, who was in the city to urge Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee to 'go by her conscience' in the forthcoming Presidential polls, told UNI, ''The main issue is PoK and not Jammu and Kashmir.'' PoK, which comprises 28,000 sq miles of Gilgit and 4500 sq miles of Azad Kashmir, has a population of more than four million.

Prof Singh said, ''The people here should be asked where they want to go--Pakistan or India.'' Regretting Pakistan's occupation of a major portion of Jammu and Kashmir, the party chairman said that country had occupied this part but had not taken care of the people there.

He also said the people in PoK had been fighting for one constitution and of late they had realised that Pakistan had always utilised them for its vested interest.

Supporting one constitution and demanding election in PoK, Prof Singh said, ''We are trying to bring the All Party Hurriyat Conference into the general election.

''The people here have joined hands against terrorism. No power in the world is supporting terrorism now,'' he said adding that Pakistan President General Parvez Musharraf has given a clear message in 'Operation Silence' in Lal Masjid, that no terrorist would be spared.

''He has confronted death by exposing the facts about Lal Masjid.

And a message has also reached the people of PoK,'' Prof Singh said.

He also criticised the treatment meted out to deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain saying, ''I respected him. He was a good friend of mine. I loved him because he was the only person who supported India on the J&K issue.'' The Panthers Party was earlier an ally of the Congress but fell out after the latter refused to talk on the issue of the Delimitation Commission of constituencies in the state.

UNI