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Congress Party Scandal: Navjot Sidhu's Aide Quits After Claiming India 'Occupies Kashmir Illegally'

Malwinder Singh Mali – the now ex-advisor of Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu – has paid for his comments about both Kashmir and the Taliban.
Sputnik
On Friday, Malvinder Singh Mali quit as the advisor to Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu after he landed in hot water for calling India an "illegal" occupant of the conflict-ridden Kashmir region.
The development comes a day after Punjab State Chief Amarinder Singh threatened to dismiss him if Sidhu failed to resign himself. 
"I withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu," Mali wrote in an official statement shared with the press. 
Kashmir has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan for decades, with the two nations fighting three major wars since 1947 to claim the area.  
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India controls 55 percent of the vast Kashmir region along with 70 percent of its population, the majority of whom are Muslims. 
On 19 August, Raghav Chadha of Congress' rival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded an explanation from Mali for calling Kashmir an independent country and referring to India as its illegal occupant. 
Punjab Chief Singh, who is a Congress leader himself, reached out to his party chief in the Punjab state of Sidhu – he called his adviser's comments  "potentially dangerous" as well "totally misplaced and antagonistic" to the peace and stability of India. 
On Facebook Mali also called on the Taliban* to protect Sikhs and Hindus stranded in Afghanistan after the radical Islamist group took control of the country on 15 August. 
"They will rule to improve the condition of the country, not like before," Mali wrote.
The terror group overthrew fugitive President Ashraf Ghani's government following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from the country. 
*The Taliban is a terror organisation banned by Russia and other countries
 
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