Abdullah’s Kashmir mediation remark: PDP welcomes, ally BJP condemns

Srinagar,July 21: Ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday welcomed the statement of NC president Farooq Abdullah in which he had called for a dialogue with Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue.
However, PDP’s ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has condemned the statement and demanded an apology from Abdullah for seeking third-party mediation on Kashmir issue.
Earlier in the day, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah had asked India to approach third parties, such as the US and China, to mediate in the Kashmir issue.
“Happy if he (Farooq Abdullah) is asking for talks with Pak. If you want to resolve Kashmir issue there is no other way,” said Sartaj Madni of the PDP.
However, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh demanded an apology from Abdullah.

"I condemn his statement. He is talking about China. I want to tell him when he was the Chief Minister, he talked of attacking Pakistan. Why this two-faced approach? When he was in the government, he said something else and now something else," Singh told a news agency.
"He should apologise for such a statement. He is trying to demoralise the security forces by making such statements. Farooq Abdullah wants to demean India in front of Pakistan," he added.