Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah set off a political row with his alleged pro-Pakistan remarks made at a rally in Baramulla district of Kashmir Valley on Saturday. The J&K unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought an apology from Abdullah, who is also the chief of J&K National Conference party, over the controversial remarks.
Without naming Pakistan, Abdullah said that the 'neighbour’ is protecting Kashmir. He said there is little hope for Kashmiris from the Centre and urged Kashmiris to have courage to confront Delhi.
"If you don't keep it, you will be erased. Even our trace and identity will disappear. Nothing will be left. They are silent today because there is noise in the world, and our neighbour is constantly behind this. Everywhere they say, 'the decision regarding Kashmir has not been made'. That is what is saving us. Otherwise, their intentions are not good," he said.
He further asserted that the people of J&K never denied being Indians.
"We never said that we are not Indians. Time and time again, we affirmed that we acceded to India - to the India of Mahatma Gandhi, the India of Jawaharlal Nehru, the India of (Maulana Abul Kalam) Azad," he said.
He alleged that Muslims and Hindus are being pitted against each other for ‘power’.
{{/usCountry}}He alleged that Muslims and Hindus are being pitted against each other for ‘power’.
{{/usCountry}}"India's fabric was destroyed; we never imagined this would happen. But this too shall end, God willing; its time will come," Abdullah was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
BJP seeks apology
The remarks kicked up a row with BJP's J&K president Sat Sharma demanding an apology from the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.
“Farooq Abdullah needs to understand that he has the freedom to say whatever he wishes in this country. It is precisely because of this freedom that he is able to make such statements. Had you made these remarks in Pakistan, you might not have been spared,” Sharma said, adding that Article 370 was imposed on the state.
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“The rights of women were taken away. Today, Muslims across the country, including those in Jammu and Kashmir, understand the situation. Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir know that they are safe in the hands of India...The Bharatiya Janata Party will not tolerate such conduct. He should publicly apologise to the people of India. Otherwise, I would say that Pakistan would be a better place for him, and he should go and settle there,” he added.
Former union minister Arjun Munda also condemned Abdullah's remarks, saying that such a statement, if made by a former chief minister, was unfortunate and reflected his view of the country.
"If such a statement has come from him, then it becomes self-evident how he views this country. Today, that is clearly reflected in his statements. I did not expect his statements to take such a form, but since they have, it is not just saddening; it is condemnable,” Munda was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Kumar Khanna accused Abdullah of exploiting Kashmiris throughout his political career. He said that the region's integration into the national mainstream under the Modi government was in the best interests of its people.
“It is people like Farooq Abdullah who have exploited Kashmir throughout their lives. Farooq Abdullah is responsible for reducing Kashmiris to second-class citizens, and he ought not to be making such statements. It is precisely because of India’s diversity that Kashmir is now integrated into the nation’s mainstream, and every citizen of Kashmir enjoys the same rights as those in the rest of India," Khanna was quoted as saying.