Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari | Photo Credit: YouTube

Key Highlights Pakistan People’s Party was founded on the sacrifices and for the cause of Kashmir: Asif Ali Zardari PPP leader described the Indian government’s decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir as serious as the “East Pakistan tragedy” Asif Ali Zardari alleges that ex-Indian PM Indira Gandhi had 'negotiated' a 'land deal' with Islamabad after the war between India and Pakistan in 1971

Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of slain ex-Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto, has made a sensational claim in the Pakistani Parliament during a debate on the recent developments in Kashmir. The former Pakistani president, earlier this week, alleged that ex-Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi had 'negotiated' a land deal with Islamabad (involving large swathes of Pakistani land that had been lost to India) after the war between India and Pakistan in 1971.

Zardari, who was speaking at the joint session of Pakistan's Parliament, claimed that the PPP was founded on the sacrifices and for the cause of Kashmir.

After the 1971 war debacle, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the then President of Pakistan, had taken back the land "after a dialogue with Indira Gandhi", despite the fact that 90,000 Pakistani prisoners were in the Indian custody at that time, claimed Zardari.

Recounting the incident, Zardari said it was ZA Bhutto, who secretly made the Pakistani province of Punjab be seen as putting pressure on him to bring the Pakistani prisoners of war back home.

Zardari alleged that Indira Gandhi, consequently, received the intelligence inputs that Bhutto was under too much pressure to ensure the rescue of soldiers and would be interested in no other exchange as much as he was likely to seek the soldiers' release. Zardari says that when ZA Bhutto met Indira Gandhi, who was the Indian Prime Minister then, the latter proposed the former to either take back the land or the soldiers.

Former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari claims Ex-PM Indira Gandhi negotiated a land deal with Pakistan, to bolster the position of Pakistan Peoples Party. @NikunjGargN , Vivek Narayan with details. pic.twitter.com/N1B657tsiv — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) August 9, 2019

Zardari credits Bhutto (also his father-in-law, given that he was wedded to ZA Bhutto's daughter Benazir) for thinking on his feet. According to Zardari, ZA Bhutto was aware that India was not the economic giant that it is now and could ill-afford to keep the soldiers fed and safe as per the Geneva Convention. So India was likely to give back the soldiers soon anyway. Therefore, Bhutto said to Indira Gandhi that he chose the land.

“Bhutto sahab opted for the land,” said Zardari, adding: “The Indian economy, at that time, was not as good as today to take care of 90,000 soldiers. As per the Geneva Convention, the combatants (POWs) had to be looked after.”

He described the Indian government’s decision to withdraw the special status of Jammu and Kashmir as serious as the “East Pakistan tragedy”.

The 13-day India-Pakistan war had ended on December 16, 1971. On August 2, 1972, the two countries had inked the Simla Agreement under which the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi agreed to release all the POWs the Indian Army had captured during the course of the war.

Zardari, who is in the National Accountability Bureau's custody in a fake bank accounts case, had attended the session following the issuance of production order in this regard.

During this speech, Zardari even referred to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan as 'Select' (Selected and not elected PM) and slammed his failure to garner diplomatic support for Pakistan. He also slammed 'Imran's dealing with the IMF at the cost of China's honour'.

In the wake of the Indian government’s move, Pakistan has expelled Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria and suspended bilateral trade with India. Pakistan has also partially closed its airspace.

The Foreign Office spokesperson, in a formal statement, said: "Pursuant to the decision of the National Security Committee today, the Government of India has been told to withdraw its High Commissioner to Pakistan. The Indian Government has also been informed that Pakistan will not be sending its High Commissioner-designate (Moin ul-Haq) to India."