Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir: Amid back-to-back terror attacks in the Union territory, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir will not end unless talks are held with Pakistan. He said that the new government in Pakistan "is willing to have a peaceful atmosphere with us" and India should "open the door to them".
Speaking to reporters, the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir said, "I have always said that terrorism is not going to end unless there is an understanding between the two nations (India and Pakistan). Terrorism will continue and we will have to face it. The tragedy is that innocent people are getting killed... and that is unfortunate."
"The government in Pakistan, I think they are wanting to have a peaceful atmosphere with us. Let's open the door to them. And let us revive SAARC. SAARC was made for the good of this entire area," he said.
'Problems will not be solved by military action'
He said that more innocent people would lose their lives unless "we wake up" and "find a solution to this".
"We still have problems with our neighbour. These problems will not be solved by military action. Unless we talk to our neighbours, we cannot solve it. The terrorists are coming through borders, and they will continue coming. Whichever government will be there tomorrow, will have to face the same thing... We need to come out of these situations... We have a major Yatra coming (Amarnath Yatra). Any small incident that might take place in that will be blown up in the rest of the country. We Kashmiris are not responsible for these things," Abdullah said.
Farooq Abdullah on S Jaishankar's remarks
Referring to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's comments about India prioritising the resolution of border issues, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister emphasised that "dialogue" is the only way forward.
Shortly after taking charge of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the second term, Jaishankar on Tuesday said efforts will be made to address cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan as it cannot be the "policy of a good neighbour."
Jaishankar also said India will focus on resolving the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. "The foreign minister himself said yesterday that with China, we have to have a dialogue and for the first time, he mentioned Pakistan also. I hope they continue and find a solution to it," Abdullah said.
"We are the ones facing tragedies. Innocent people of the state are facing tragedies and a reflection of this happens in the rest of the country. I hope they realise that the time has come to end this," he added
Terrorist attacks in J-K
Abdullah's remarks came in the wake of three terrorist attacks in Jammu over three days. On Sunday, terrorists targeted a bus carrying pilgrims, causing it to veer off the road and fall into a deep gorge in Reasi, resulting in nine deaths and 41 injuries. Two days later, terrorists attacked a joint checkpost in Doda, injuring six security personnel.
In a separate incident late on Tuesday, security forces killed a suspected Pakistani terrorist in Kathua district. The overnight encounter concluded on Wednesday with the death of a second terrorist, although a CRPF jawan lost his life in the operation.
(With agencies input)
Also Read: Kathua encounter: Second terrorist killed by armed forces, hunt for third underway
