STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Militancy in Kashmir will not end until the government wins the hearts of the people in the Valley and seeks a solution by talking to Pakistan, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah said on Wednesday.
Condemning the killing of a police officer by terrorists in the city on Tuesday, he said people will keep on dying till a solution to the Kashmir issue is found.
Why NC failed to win hearts of people, retorts BJP
Jammu: The BJP on Wednesday accused the National Conference (NC) and the Gupkar Alliance of being the ”greatest hurdle” in the fight against terrorism.
Instead of educating youngsters about the futility of violence and terrorism, these “dynastic politicians are instigating people by their statements”, spokesperson of the BJP’s J-K unit Girdhari Lal Raina told reporters here.
He was reacting to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s statement on Wednesday that militancy in Kashmir will not end until the government wins the hearts of the people in the Valley and seeks a solution by talking to Pakistan. “The NC and Gupkar alliance are the greatest hurdle in the fight against terrorism. Instead of educating youngsters about the futility of violence and terrorism, these self-centred, power-hungry and pursuers of dynastic politics are instigating people by their inciting statements,” Raina said.
He said that the NC has been in power in Jammu Kashmir for a long enough period and should have practiced what it is preaching when voted out of power.
“They never explain the reasons behind their failure to win the hearts of the people in the Valley, Raina said.
“The NC and its president must also enlighten countrymen about the result of the umpteen round of talks held between India and Pakistan that began soon after partition,” the BJP spokesperson added.
Raina said that Pakistan is a failed state on the brink of disintegration and is surviving on hate-India sentiment and the use of terrorism as a foreign policy component.
“Dr Abdullah and his party along with alliance partners must use their influence to persuade Pakistan not to push terrorists into India”, Raina said, adding political leaders of Jammu Kashmir must act responsibly and assist the Modi government’s efforts to usher in peace and development.
The caravan of terrorism will not end. Their (BJP) ministers and other leaders issue statements that it has ended, but I want to tell them that this will not end till you do not try to win the hearts of the people of Kashmir and seek its solution after talking to our neighbouring country, Abdullah told reporters at party headquarters Nawa-i-Subah’ here.
Abdullah, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, condemned the killing of Assistant Sub-Inspector Mushtaq Ahmad in the Lal Bazar area of the city.
His son was killed in 2020 by military (in an encounter). It is unfortunate that he (Ahmad) was martyred by terrorists. We do not know who the killer is and who the saviour of the people here is. This is strange. We all condemn it and pray for him. We also pray for the family to bear this loss, he said.
The NC president sought a handsome compensation from the administration for the slain policeman’s family so that they live with dignity.
Asked about the situation in Sri Lanka and whether something like that can happen in India, Abdullah said anything can happen.
God save us. We pray that we do not have to face such a situation. We also pray for the people of Sri Lanka that God take them out of these difficult times they are in. Also, may God let this government understand the situation so that they take steps to avoid it here, he said.
In response to a question on family planning, Abdullah said whether the government targets a particular community or anyone else, it should understand that India is a country with diversity.
This is a diverse country. Nothing is similar between Tamil Nadu and Kashmir — not food, not culture, not language, not even weather — but what keeps us together is that we have to progress together, and remove poverty, diseases and adversity.
The biggest aim was unity of India. We have to make diversity stronger and then only will there be unity. If we try to break this diversity, then this country will fall into misery and it will be very difficult to take it out from there, he added.
Abdullah took a dig at the administration for not allowing political parties to pay homage to July 13, 1931 ‘martyrs’.
It is unfortunate that they not only cancelled its holiday but also stopped people from paying their tributes. This is a huge mistake, he said.
Asked about the controversy over the national emblem, the NC president said all this will happen in slavery.
They can even run a road roller tomorrow. Pharaoh (an ancient ruler of Egypt) also did this. What had Pharaoh done? He persecuted people. But what happened then? So, let them do it, how much they want to. God is there and He will remain. He belongs to everyone and He is watching all this. A time will come and He will act, Abdullah said.
