‘I will talk with people, youth of valley’: Amit Shah responds to Farooq Abdullah’s advice on talks with Pakistan

“Farooq Abdullah has advised me that the Government of India should talk with Pakistan. But I want to tell him and you that I will speak to the people of the valley (Kashmir) and the youth of the valley,” Amit Shah said.

Updated on: Oct 25, 2021, 16:36:30 IST

Written by Srivatsan K C | Edited by Avik Roy, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

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Union home affairs minister Amit Shah on Monday responded to former erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah’s suggestions for talks between India and Pakistan and said that he would rather speak with the people and the youth of the valley.

“Today, I want to speak to you frankly and that is why there is no bullet proof (shield) or security here,” Amit Shah said during the speech. (Twitter/@ANI)

Shah, who is currently on his first visit to the Union territory since revoking Article 370, made the remark while speaking at a public rally in Srinagar earlier in the day.

On Sunday, Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) leader Farooq Abdullah had pitched for discussions between India and Pakistan and said that a conducive environment should be made for dialogue between the two sides, news agency PTI had reported. Abdullah has made similar remarks earlier on October 17 when he said that attempts should be made for friendly relations between the two neighbours.

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“Today I saw in the newspaper, Farooq (Abdullah) ‘sahab’ has advised me that the Government of India should talk with Pakistan. He is an experienced person and was also the chief minister and it is his advice. But I want to tell him and you that I will speak to the people of the valley (Kashmir) and the youth of the valley,” Shah said during his speech.

“Why shouldn’t I talk with you?” he asked, adding that is why he has extended his hand of friendship to the youth of the valley.

Further, the home minister also said that he wanted to talk with the people of the valley “frankly” and so there was no security in front of him. “I was taunted and condemned with harsh words. Today, I want to speak to you frankly and that is why there is no bullet proof (shield) or security here,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Amit Shah and Jammu & Kashmir’s lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha visited the Kheer Bhawani Durga temple in Ganderbal district where they offered prayers, news agency ANI reported. Later, Shah is also scheduled to visit the CRPF camp in Lethpora in Pulwama district.

(With agency inputs)

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