Daijiworld Media Network - Jammu
Jammu, Nov 12: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday called for the resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan, asserting that military confrontation and violence cannot resolve political disputes and that negotiations should not be held hostage to continuing hostilities.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also reiterated that Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral part of India.
"If you keep waiting until everyone's guns fall silent, it will be too late by the time the firing stops," Abdullah said in Jammu, responding to a question on the BJP-led government's position that talks and bullets cannot go together.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the family of retired information officer Madan Mantoo, who recently died of cardiac arrest, Abdullah urged Pakistan to abandon terrorism and create an atmosphere conducive to dialogue with India.
"I have always told Pakistan to stop terrorism. Nothing can be achieved through terrorism. The process of dialogue must begin because only through talks can a way forward be found," he said.
Abdullah observed that wars and military confrontations only lead to destruction, citing the ongoing devastation in Iran and Ukraine. He stressed that lasting solutions to disputes could be achieved only through negotiations and mutual engagement.
He also called for the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), saying countries in the region should come together, resolve their differences and focus on collective development.
Referring to the European Union as an example of countries overcoming historical differences through cooperation, Abdullah said regional nations should adopt a similar approach.
"India is the largest country in the region, and Indira Gandhi had shown the way for India to maintain cordial and sympathetic relations with neighbouring countries. We must revive SAARC so that all of us can sit together, resolve our disputes and work towards progress and development," he said.
Reacting to the recent twin terror attacks in Kulgam and Kishtwar districts, which claimed the lives of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and left three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel injured within two days, Abdullah said those harbouring ambitions of taking Kashmir must abandon such thinking.
He asserted that terrorism would never succeed in achieving its objectives.
However, Abdullah expressed concern over claims in Delhi that terrorism had ended in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the recent incidents demonstrated that the threat continued to persist.
"I have already said such incidents are still happening. One never knows where the next attack might take place," he said, stressing the need for concrete measures to eliminate terrorism.
Asked about claims of peace and normalcy in Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370, particularly in the wake of the recent Kishtwar attack, Abdullah acknowledged that terrorism continued to exist but urged people not to live in fear.
He reiterated that Kashmir was an integral part of India and would remain so.
Clarifying his earlier remarks concerning Pakistan, Abdullah said his statements had been misrepresented. He explained that he had been referring to the atrocities committed during the 1947 tribal invasion of Jammu and Kashmir, including the killing of a Christian doctor and his family and the alleged rape of nuns at a hospital in Baramulla.
He further said Pakistan should move beyond repeatedly raising the Kashmir issue and recognise that disputes could not be resolved through military action.