Singh-Gilani talks good omen for peace in sub-continent: Farooq

Terming the talks between Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan in Bhutan as a "good omen" for peace in the sub-continent, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah said the ties between the two countries have a direct bearing on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Terming the talks between Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan in Bhutan as a "good omen" for peace in the sub-continent, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah on Friday said the ties between the two countries have a direct bearing on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

HT Image

"Talks between Indian premier Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in Bhutan is a good omen for peace in the sub-continent. The Key to peace in Jammu and Kashmir in particular lies in friendly relations between the two countries," the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy said in a statement in Srinagar.

Noting that the National Conference has always supported friendly ties between India and Pakistan, he said, "Friendly ties between the two countries is imperative for peace in Jammu and Kashmir."

Abdullah said history is witness that National Conference founder and his father Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah advocated friendly relations between the two countries till his last breath, saying the solution to Kashmir issue could be achieved if the two countries came closer to each other.

"Sheikh always said that a strong Pakistan is in the interest of a strong India," Abdullah said.