Malaysian PM stands by Kashmir comments despite India palm oil boycott

KUALA LAMPUR (92 News) – Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said despite demand for banning Malaysian goods in India he stood firm on his stand on Kashmir issue. The Malaysian PM would not retract his criticism of New Delhi’s actions in occupied Kashmir despite Indian traders calling for an unprecedented boycott of Malaysian palm oil. Speaking at the Parliament lobby in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Prime Minister said, “We speak our minds and we do not retract and change despite calls by some in India for a boycott of Malaysian goods.” Dr Mahathir said the government will study the effects of a boycott but it will take no further action for now. He said all countries including India, Pakistan and the US should abide by the United Nations resolution on Jammu and Kashmir. Recent reports say India might review its imports of palm oil and other products while an Indian trade organization advised its members not to buy palm oil from Malaysia. The impasse could exacerbate what the Malaysian PM described as a trade war between the world’s second biggest producer and exporter of the commodity and its biggest buyer so far this year. India’s top vegetable oil trade body on Monday asked its members to stop buying Malaysian palm oil after Mahathir said at the United Nations General Assembly last month that India had “invaded and occupied” Kashmir. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government removed the long-standing autonomy of India’s portion of the Kashmir valley on August 5, calling it an internal matter and criticising countries that have spoken out against the move. The UN Security Council adopted several resolutions in 1948 and in the 1950s on the dispute between India and Pakistan over occupied Kashmir, including one which says a plebiscite should be held to determine the future of the region.