Farooq urges diplomacy between India, Pakistan

Srinagar, December 26

MP and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, said on Tuesday that there was an imperative need for dialogue as the sole means to bring an end to the longstanding disputes with Pakistan.

Abdullah warned that if India and Pakistan fail to resolve their differences through talks, Kashmir could face a fate similar to that of Gaza and Palestine, which are currently enduring the impact of Israeli bombings.

Speaking to mediapersons in Srinagar, Abdullah stressed the urgency of finding a peaceful solution through diplomatic channels.

Recalling the stance of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the Kashmir issue, Abdullah invoked Vajpayee’s assertion that while friends could be changed but not neighbours. He said there was a potential for mutual progress if India maintained friendly relations with its neighbouring countries.

The NC chief also referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s acknowledgment that war was not a viable option in today’s world, and emphasised the need for dialogue to address matters between the two nations.

The former CM questioned the absence of active dialogue between the countries, especially when Nawaz Sharif was poised to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. He highlighted Pakistan’s expressed readiness for talks with India and raised concerns about India’s reluctance to engage in discussions.

“A failure to find a solution through dialogue could lead to a situation reminiscent of the ongoing crisis in Gaza and Palestine,” Abdullah said.

His remarks came in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the tragic loss of four soldiers.

Later, three civilians were found dead after they were picked up by the Army for questioning. In a move to fix accountability in the matter, the Army had acted swiftly and shifted a Brigadier, a Colonel and Lt Col.

Speaking on the issue, Abdullah said shunting out Army officers will not address the Poonch civilian deaths case and called for an investigation to find out why innocent people were allegedly tortured to death. “Peaceful citizens, eight of them, were taken away and three were beaten so mercilessly. Three of them could not bear the torture and succumbed,” he said. — With PTI inputs

Calls for probe into ‘custodial’ deaths

• Farooq Abdullah said shunting out Army officers will not address the Poonch civilian deaths case and called for an investigation to find out why innocent people were allegedly tortured to death
• “If innocent people who have nothing to do with terrorism are getting killed, which India are we living in?” the National Conference chief and former J&K CM said on Tuesday