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Farooq: Targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir will not stop unless Centre talks to Pakistan
“Targeted killings won’t stop unless they (India and Pakistan) hold talks. They (BJP) earlier held Article 370 responsible for the killings and other ills. Today it’s not there… it’s been four years since Article 370 was revoked (in August 2019) but still people are dying,” Farooq Abdullah said.
Targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir will not stop unless the Centre holds talks with Pakistan, like it is doing with China to resolve the border issue in Ladakh, former chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Monday.
The Srinagar MP’s remark came two days after 56-year-old Puran Krishan, a Kashmiri Pandit, was shot dead by terrorists near his residence in Shopian district. He was the third Kashmiri Pandit to be killed by terrorists in the Valley this year. At least 18 people have died so far this year in incidents of targeted killings in the region.
During his brief remarks on the attack, Abdullah also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre over its claims of normalcy post abrogation of Article 370 in the Union territory.
“Targeted killings won’t stop unless they (India and Pakistan) hold talks. They (BJP) earlier held Article 370 responsible for the killings and other ills. Today it’s not there… it’s been four years since Article 370 was revoked (in August 2019) but still people are dying,” he said.
“If Article 370 was responsible for the killings, then why was this innocent Pandit Puran Krishan killed? There must be some reason for it. Article 370 was not responsible for the killings because terrorism is being sponsored from outside,” he added.
Abdullah made the remarks while speaking to reporters after meeting party colleague and former minister Jagjeevan Lal over the demise of his sister, and the family of former bureaucrat Babu Ram who recently passed away.
Relations between India and Pakistan have often been strained over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The ties between the two countries, however, nosedived after the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the state into two Union territories on August 5, 2019.
India’s decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy. India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of the country.
The National Conference, along with four parties, meanwhile, are fighting for the restoration of the special status under the banner of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD).
Abdullah said unless terrorism is stopped, “the killings won’t cease and it can never be done militarily alone.” We have to find a way out via talks (with Pakistan),” he said.
Referring to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, he said: “See today what is going on in the Russia-Ukraine war. They have been fighting for months together and what have they achieved... several people have died.”
He also reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his words that “today’s era is not of war”.
On September 16, Modi had told Russian President Vladimir Putin at a bilateral meeting in Uzbekistan that “today’s era is not of war” and nudged him to end the war in Ukraine in view of concerns of developing countries over food and fuel security.
In a phone conversation with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi reiterated his call for cessation of hostilities and a return to dialogue and diplomacy. He said there can be “no military solution” and expressed India’s readiness to contribute to peace efforts.
Taking note of Modi’s conversations with the two leaders and India’s several rounds of talks with China over the border row that erupted in May 2020, Abdullah said: “So when we see all this happening around and when we are talking to China to go back from our borders and trying to resolve our border issue with them, then why can’t we talk to them (Pakistan) and find a way out. Otherwise, we will continue to die here.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress rallied behind Abdullah and called for talks with Pakistan.
“It is our firm belief that peaceful relations with our neighbouring country is essential for lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir. When we talk about normalising the situation, things cannot be pushed to normal, they have to be managed to be normal. And, normalisation can’t be without addressing internal and external dimensions of the Kashmir issue,” party spokesperson and former legislator Firdous Tak, who is also a close confidante of party chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, said.
“We have to talk to stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Pakistan. Whenever we engaged in a dialogue with Pakistan, we had a peaceful situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
Former J&K Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir said: “As a national party, BJP’s tall claims of normalcy stand exposed. Day by day we are losing people. See how Puran Krishan was killed adjacent to a security camp, barely 100 meters away. If this is the situation then the government has to cover up.”
“Since the beginning, the Congress has always stood for dialogue with its neighbours to resolve contentious issues. In today’s world, disputes get resolved via dialogue Even their leader Atal Bihar Vajpayee had gone to Lahore,” he added.
The BJP, however, hit back and ruled out any talks with the neighbouring country.
“During peak terrorism in 1990, when there was death and destruction everywhere, the same Farooq Abdullah had fled to London. Today, the situation is not the same… Top terror commanders have been killed and security forces are saving the people of Kashmir. A handful of terrorists are left and they will soon be eliminated,” J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina said.
“Moreover, instead of talking to Pakistan, we will talk to our own people in Kashmir. Union home minister Amit Shah had said at a recent Baramulla rally that there shall be no talks with Pakistan and if any talks have to take place, they will be with our people and our youth. Why should we talk to Pakistan, who bleeds Kashmir with terror attacks? We will punish Pakistan for its sins,” he added.
