National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday advocated dialogue with Pakistan to end terrorism in the vally, Jammu and Kashmir. He asserted friendship holds the key to development in the region.
The former chief minister of the erstwhile state remembered former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee's words “you can change your friends but not your neighbours” and said “either we grow friendship and prosper or continue the enmity, then there will be no prosperity”.“Terrorism is still prevalent (in Jammu and Kashmir) contrary to their (BJPs) claim that we have finished it. If we want to finish it, we have to talk with our neighbour,” Abdullah said.
He was responding to a question about the terrorist attack on police in Bhagat locality of Srinagar on February 19, which left two policemen dead.
“This is the reality of the day. I appeal to the government to adopt the same approach as they had with China over the standoff in Ladakh and started withdrawal of its troops. The same is needed here to pull out J&K from this (terrorism),” he said.
Abdullah said the world has shrunk and the country like rest of the world is fighting coronavirus. “We have to solve this issue as well.”Asked whether he is hopeful of success of the ongoing Indo-China talks, the NC leader said “the issue is big because this line is not defined and so there are differences between the two powerful countries".“Both the countries need to sit and define this line (Line of Actual Control) so that the issue is settled forever. Both the countries are powerful and the key to development lies in the friendship,” he said.Responding to a question on increasing petrol prices, Abdullah said, “I want to request the government to review its decision and reverse the hike to allow the poor to live”.
“I heard they are buying it (petrol) at Rs 30 per litre and if they are selling it at Rs 100 per litre to the people, it is wrong. Where the middle class that has a fixed income would go? They have to run the household, pay school fees of their children, and take care of the sick as well. It (the government) has pushed the whole country into the crisis and needs to act fast to set it (petrol prices) right,” he said.Asked about his party boycotting the delimitation commission meeting, Abdullah said “we have already said that what they have done on August 5 (2019) we have not accepted it. When we have not accepted that, how could we accept delimitation commission for J&K.”
On August 5, 2019, the Centre revoked the special status of J&K under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories.“I myself (as chief minister) delayed the delimitation exercise because the delimitation was scheduled to take place in the country in 2026. What was the reason for carrying out the delimitation at this time? Why not they go for the exercise in the entire country instead of picking up only a few states? That is our issue,” he said,
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