Congress’ Pawan Khera lashes out at ‘Broker-Turned-Pseudo-Historian’ BJP leader Nishikant Dubey

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday launched a sharp attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey for citing former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to criticise the Congress party.

In a post on X, Khera pointed to past instances where BJP leaders, including LK Advani and Jaswant Singh, had publicly praised Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Khera further challenged Dubey’s historical claims, accusing him of being a “broker-turned-pseudo-historian.”

Nishikant Dubey quoting Bhutto to attack Congress. Who is giving respectability to Pakistan leaders? But it is no surprise since Mr. Advani and Mr. Jaswant Singh had publicly praised and lauded Mr. Jinnah; Mr Modi got ISI to investigate the Pathankot airbase terror attack….… pic.twitter.com/sTxplRPqYQ

— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) May 26, 2025

In his X post, he wrote, “Nishikant Dubey quoting Bhutto to attack Congress. Who is giving respectability to Pakistan leaders? But it is no surprise since Mr. Advani and Mr. Jaswant Singh had publicly praised and lauded Mr. Jinnah; Mr Modi got ISI to investigate the Pathankot airbase terror attack…. And this broker-turned-pseudo-historian should know that Sardar Swaran Singh and Mr. Bhutto had six rounds of talks in 1963, but all in India and Pakistan. Not in a “neutral site” as was mentioned as part of the ceasefire on May 10th 2025, by Dr. Jaishankar’s friend, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio”.

Earlier today, BJP leader Nishikant Dubey shared a declassified 1963 telegram from the US 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 US and Britain, amid Cold War geopolitical pressures.

The telegram, sent from Karachi to the US 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. (ANI)