Former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah today said that ‘India should approach third parties, such as the US and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue’. The National Conference (NC) leader said ‘New Delhi has so many allies across the globe who can be approached for settling the issue’.
“For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to pull the bull by its horns. The way is to have a dialogue. India has so many friends all across the world. They can ask them to act as a mediator. US President Trump himself said that he wants to settle Kashmir problem. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached,” Abdullah said.
“If India is ready to talk to China and does not want to get into war, then they can talk to Pakistan also,” he added.
The NC leader said that “arrogance and stubbornness ‘exhibited by both the nations will not lead us anywhere’. “Remember what Atal Bihari had said, ‘friends can be changed, but not neighbours. One can move forward while maintaining friendship or can regress by becoming enemies’.”
Expressing concern over the ongoing tension in the Valley, Abdullah appealed to the government to bring the disturbing elements light and punish them. “If the youth of tomorrow are targeted today, how will they run the nation? I would like to urge the government to expose the perpetrators. We are being sandwiched. People die every day. The situation is worse in the Valley.”
Earlier this week, China, the all-weather ally of Pakistan, had said that it was ‘willing to play a constructive role in improving relations between India and Pakistan’. Terming India and Pakistan important South Asian countries, Beijing had noted that the ‘situation in Kashmir has attracted the attention of the international community’.
