Farooq: Kashmir solution must for Indo-Pak peace

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 2

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said peace between India and Pakistan, which recently had an intense face-off which led to a major aerial skirmish, was subservient to the solution of the Kashmir issue.

“If India and Pakistan want peace, then the solution of Kashmir is very important, otherwise it (peace) will not happen,” he said while addressing an election campaign rally in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.

Farooq said his party had never asked for ‘azadi’ but wanted conditions, on which accession was agreed, to be restored. “There will be no peace in our state until they restore the autonomy.”

The former Union Minister, who is now contesting as his party’s candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, also mocked the Balakot strikes and said if the casualties would have been in hundreds, they have been known to the world.

He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said, “I have not seen an actor like him. He has beaten Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan.”

“If any Muslim questions them, they accuse him of being an anti-national as if only they are nationalists. They call us Pakistani. If we wanted to go to Pakistan, we would gone in 1947,” Farooq added.