NEW DELHI, Oct 25: The National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah accused Pakistan for planning terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and warned that country to “put an end” to its constant attacks. He urged Islamabad to “find a way to be friends… otherwise issues will arise.”
His comment follows a worrying series of terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir including the one on late Thursday night in which an Army patrol vehicle in Baramulla was targeted killing four people, two soldiers and two civilians. Three days earlier six construction workers and a doctor were gunned down.
“These (terror attacks) will continue in the state till we find a suitable solution… we are all aware of the origin. For 30 years I have witnessed the killing of innocent people. Why are they (Pakistan) doing this and sabotaging their own future, we will never be a part of Pakistan.”
“Many of our colleagues have been martyred… but it continues every year and you know the ones responsible for it. They mistakenly think this will help them unite Kashmir with Pakistan…” “They ought to focus on problems facing their nation. I urge them to put an end to this and find a way to be friends… otherwise, issues will arise.” Mr Abdullah told a local news channel. “I am sorry to the families of those who were hurt and those who died,” he said, echoing the statement last night by his son and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
According to the intelligence sources, a terrorist training camp in Pakistan’s Abbottabad – the home of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden – is running next to a Pakistan Army base.
Farooq Abdullah’s comment also comes amid criticism from the BJP, which pounced on a statement by Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif that the NC and the Congress’ position on restoration of Article 370 – which was mentioned in their election manifestos – were the same. “Pakistan, a terrorist state, endorses Congress and NC’s position on Kashmir…” the BJP’s Amit Malviya said on X.
Mr Abdullah’s party swept to victory in this month’s J&K Assembly election – the first in a decade for the former state, which was lost special status in 2019 and bifurcated into two union territories.
The NC had allied with the Congress, under the INDIA bloc banner, but eventually did not need the beleaguered national party’s support, winning 42 of 90 elected seats on its own and then being backed by four independents and the lone AAP MLA, taking it past the majority mark of 46.
(Manas Dasgupta)