BJP leader Nishikant Dubey on Monday shared a declassified 1963 telegram from the U.S. State Department, alleging that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, were responsible for decisions that led to territorial concessions to Pakistan.
In his X post, he wrote, “Iron Lady Indira Ji and her father Nehru Ji. After the illegal occupation of Kashmir by Pakistan in 1948, again under the pressure of mediation by America and Britain, continuous meetings were held between 1962 and 1964 between the Minister of the Indian government, Swaran Singh, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Read this paper carefully, India had already decided to give back to Pakistan the territory forcibly occupied by Pakistan in Poonch and Uri. The matter did not stop at this; the entire Neelam and Kishanganga valley in Gurez was made the international border along with the Line of Control. The sole reason for India’s problems today is the Congress’s hand. But with whom?”
According to Dubey, India had agreed to return territories in Poonch and Uri, forcibly occupied by Pakistan. It was prepared to designate the entire Neelum and Kishanganga valley in Gurez as the international border along the Line of Control.
The document, dated February 9, 1963, details discussions between Indian Foreign Minister Swaran Singh and Pakistan’s Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, held under the mediation of the U.S. and Britain, amid Cold War geopolitical pressures.
The telegram, sent from Karachi to the U.S. Secretary of State, reveals that India had considered conceding strategic areas like Poonch, Uri, and the Kishanganga Valley to Pakistan as part of a potential settlement. It notes India’s reluctance to agree to a vote in Jammu and Kashmir, citing concerns over territorial control, while Pakistan insisted on a full-state vote, leading to a deadlock. The document also highlights U.S. concerns about the risk India took by deviating from the voting framework and the potential for further escalation if no agreement is reached.
Earlier on Saturday, Dubey criticised the Congress party for its role in the 1968 agreement that led to India ceding 828 square kilometres of the Rann of Kutch to Pakistan, despite India’s victory in the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
Dubey alleged that the Congress party, under Indira Gandhi’s leadership, agreed to international arbitration, which resulted in India losing territory to Pakistan.
Citing a document, Dubey claimed that the decision was made following an international tribunal under the United Nations, where India appointed Yugoslavia’s Ales Bebler as its representative.
He described Indira Gandhi as the “Iron Lady” who, despite winning the 1965 war, chose to cede land to Pakistan due to fear.
