The former chief minister and Lok Sabha member Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Saturday strongly advocated Indo-Pak dialogue and said that “there was no way out”; he was addressing a convention in Jammu
Amid a spike in killings in Kashmir, former chief minister and Lok Sabha member Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Saturday strongly advocated Indo-Pak dialogue and said that “there was no way out”.
He also questioned the alleged duplicity of the BJP government, which, he said, “can talk to China, who is usurping Indian territory but not to Pakistan.”
Responding to media queries following the day-long convention of the NC’s minority cell, the veteran politician lost his temper and called a journalist “communal” when the latter sought his reaction over the killings of two policemen in Kashmir on Friday.
Dr. Farooq squarely blamed the Centre for the spike in killings in Kashmir.
“Why are you asking me this? What do you want me to say? Do you think we are happy that they are killing people? It is a sad story…tell the government, who are saying everything is honky dory. Is it honky dory? Are people safe,” he said angrily.
He continued, “When your police personnel is not safe, how is an ordinary man safe?”
Two policemen were killed in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Friday after terrorists fired at them at the Gulshan Chowk area. The injured policemen were rushed to a nearby hospital where both of them succumbed to injuries.
When asked whether talks can be held in such an atmosphere, he retorted, “You have to talk… there is no way out. You can talk to China… what do you say about that? They are occupying our territory… they have made their houses on our territory. Does the government of India allow discussion in the Parliament to understand what Chinese are doing?”
When asked to react to Haryana CM ML Khattar, who has said that namaz will not be allowed in open spaces, Farooq said there was a religious tolerance, which has already been there.
“And, the Constitution provides religious freedom. If he doesn’t allow it in an open field, then let him create places where they can pray because they have to pray. That’s why they use open place because there is no place”.
Earlier, during the interaction with the internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits, Farooq Abdullah said the BJP has used them as a “vote bank” and has done nothing for them.
He also apologised to the KP community for not having been able to protect them during the mass exodus in the 1990s.
“During the NC government, we tried our best to ensure the return of the Pandit community but some elements sabotaged the whole process by carrying out massacres of Pandits,” he said.
He also recalled how the then governor Jagmohan allegedly facilitated the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits with the promise to get them back in two months.
He assured that the National Conference will continue to work towards the safe and honorable return of Pandits to the Valley.
