The leader of the National Conference, Farooq Abdullah, lashed out at Islamabad, naming Pakistan as the epicenter of terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, asking it to “put an end” to its perennial hostilities. Otherwise, warned Farooq, Islamabad should “find a way to be friends; otherwise, issues will arise” in light of a disturbing series of attacks in the region.
Abdullah’s comments come a week after the attack last Thursday night in Baramulla – terrorists attacked an Army vehicle, killing two soldiers and two civilians. Days ago, six construction workers and a doctor were killed by the gunshots.
“These attacks will continue until an amicable solution is reached,” Abdullah said, reminiscing over nearly three decades of violence in the region. He questioned the motivation of the Pakistani: “For 30 years, I have seen them kill innocent people. Why are they ruining their future when we will not become a part of Pakistan?”
He said he had lost many comrades during those years and lamented: “They wrongly think it will bring Kashmir into their fold.” Abdullah called for a respite from the violence in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan, saying that the country should concentrate on its own problems.
He condemned and sent condolences to the “families of those who have been hurt and of those who have died because of the recent attacks”, for which his son, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah did the same. “I am sorry to the families of those who were hurt and those who died,” he said.
Meanwhile, intelligence sources said a terrorist training camp was present near an army base in Abbottabad, Pakistan, making things all the more complex from the security perspective.
Abdullah’s remarks have come at a time when BJP attacked the National Conference and Congress over their stand on Kashmir, especially after a statement by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. “Pakistan, a terrorist state, endorses Congress and NC’s position on Kashmir,” BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya said on social media.
In recent political news, Abdullah’s party has come out with flying colors in this month’s Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The election was the first held in ten years after the restive region lost its special status in 2019. National Conference, which contested the polls in alliance with Congress as part of the INDIA bloc, won 42 of the 90 elected seats on its own and got the support of four independents and one AAP MLA to take it past the majority mark of 46.
