Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah warned on Tuesday that the Union Territory will meet the same fate as that of Gaza, which is at war with Israel, in the “absence” of a political dialogue.
He also urged the leaders of both India and Pakistan to find a solution to their bilateral issues through dialogue.
Invoking former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the National Conference President said, “Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that we can change our friends but not our neighbours. If we remain friendly with our neighbours, both will progress.”
The NC leader mentioned that PM Modi also said that ‘war is not an option now’ and ‘the matter should be resolved through dialogue”.
Farooq asked both the nuclear power countries, India and Pakistan, “Where is the dialogue?”
“Where is the dialogue? Nawaz Sharif is about to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and they are saying that we are ready to talk (with India), but what is the reason why we are not ready to talk?” “If we do not find a solution through dialogue, we (Kashmir) will meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which are being bombed by Israel…”, he warned.
In 1999, former Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Pakistan just a few months before the Kargil War began. In the year 2015, PM Narendra Modi held a meeting with Nawaz in Pakistan during a surprise visit to the country. Pakistan’s continuous attempts to infiltrate Indian territory with terrorists have been the reason for unfriendly relations.
The 26/11 Mumbai attacks left an unending outrage and pain amongst Indians. India-Pakistan ties nosedived after the abrogation of Article 370 in the year 2019.