“Same Fate As Gaza, Palestine If No India-Pak Talks”: Farooq Abdullah

National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah today criticized the Narendra Modi administration for not negotiating with Pakistan to settle differences, warning that “we may meet the same fate as Gaza” if negotiations do not start.

The former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remark that “we can change our friends but not our neighbors” on India-Pakistan ties was brought up by the Srinagar MP while addressing media.

“Prime Minister Modi also said that diplomacy should be used to settle the issues rather than going to war at this time. Where’s the conversation at? They claim we are ready to speak (to India), but why are we not ready to talk, as Nawaz Sharif is about to take over as prime minister of Pakistan? stated Mr. Abdullah.

“If we do not find a solution through dialogue, we will meet the same fate as Gaza and Palestine, which are being bombed by Israel,” he said. More than 21,000 people have died as a result of the horrific counterattack launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7 and the subsequent strikes, which left most of Gaza in ruins.

The statements made by the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir coincide with a week’s worth of unpleasant news from the Union Territory. Three civilians perished after being held by forces for interrogation, five soldiers perished in an ambush in Poonch, and a retired police officer was shot and murdered inside a mosque in Baramulla during this time.

Earlier, Mr. Abdullah disregarded the assertions made by the governing BJP that Jammu and Kashmir will return to normal when its special status was lost in 2019.

“Calling for peace or shouting “business as usual” won’t put an end to terrorism. They were saying that the repeal of Article 370 (in 2019) put an end to terrorism, but after four years, it is still present and won’t end unless its underlying causes are identified, Mr. Abdullah said on Sunday.

“I’m sorry the cop was killed. Those who are advocating for normality remain mute; instead of tackling the underlying issue, they attempted bandaging the wounds superficially. “Commoners need to realize that we are losing both officers and soldiers,” he said.

To put a stop to the carnage in Jammu and Kashmir, the head of the National Conference said that the Centre must discover “the right perspective”. “We are part of India, we were part of India and we will remain part of India and if we have to end terrorism, we have to look for ways rather than claiming normalcy or talking about tourism which is fragile under the shadow of terrorism,” he said.

According to him, using the military or law enforcement would not put an end to terrorism. Instead, “we have to go deeper and address the root cause to finish it off.”

“Three villagers were subsequently tortured to death by terrorists who also assaulted and killed our courageous troops. This is unfortunate since we are battling terrorism, not domestic issues. We can never win this battle if we agitate our people,” he had said.

Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, had expressed a desire to communicate with New Delhi earlier in the year. Declaring that “war is no longer an option,” he had declared that there is “nothing against anyone” and that Islamabad is prepared to communicate with its neighbors.

Arindam Bagchi, a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, responded by saying that although India desires friendly relations with Pakistan, there must be an environment free from violence and terror for these relations to occur.

“Reports about the PM of Pakistan’s remarks on this matter have surfaced. It is well known that India has maintained a steadfast and unwavering stance in favor of normal ties with all of its neighbors, including Pakistan. It is essential that this atmosphere be free from hatred and fear,” he had said.