Srinagar: Asserting that “enough is enough”, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah says Pakistan should “call it a day” and end the cycle of violence in Jammu and Kashmir.
While terrorism has largely subsided, Pakistan’s refusal to accept Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India continues to fuel violence in the region, the three-time Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.
“My humble advice to both these nations, my own nation and Pakistan, is that the time has come. Let us leave the path of violence and start finding ways of peace so that we can live with honour and dignity,” the 88-year-old told PTI in an interview.
Discussing the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed, he said it was a “big blow” to efforts of rekindling brotherhood in the region. However, it also brought the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the streets in protest. This was, Abdullah said, a clear signal to Pakistan that terror was being rejected.
The pain was not felt only by the families who lost their dear ones but also by the people of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
“They (people) came out on the streets without anybody asking them to do so… they came out voluntarily and said this is not us we’re not part of it,” Abdullah said, recalling the scenes of protest after the attack last April.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially those from the Valley, had sent a stern message to Pakistan that violence must end, he added.
“I hope our neighbour realised we will never favour terrorism and we will never be part of any such war in the future. This is not us. We are not animals. We are peace loving people and we want peace to prevail. Enough is enough… call it a day,” he added.
In his view, the greatest threat facing the youth in Jammu and Kashmir today is no longer militancy but a rampant drug epidemic “eating the vitals” of not only the union territory but the nation.
Expressing deep regret that some locals are involved in the trade for monetary gain, Abdullah said he favoured a crackdown so severe that “no one dares to continue this menace”.
“No religion preaches drug abuse,” he said and added that the fight against narcotics cannot be the government’s responsibility alone.
“This menace has to be fought by every parent and every citizen,” he said, calling for a united national front to eradicate the crisis forever.
A former Union minister in Manmohan Singh’s UPA-II government, Abdullah, who represented India at the United Nations in early 1990s, said wars are no solution and increases problems rather than solving them.
Global conflicts like the continuing Russia-Ukraine war and the West Asia one between Iran-US and Israel only skyrocket inflation and deepen poverty worldwide. “Look at Europe today. Prosperous countries are facing tremendous problems. America itself is in no good way because of this war.”
Three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists opened fire at tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow on April 22 last year killing 25 tourists and a local pony operator who had attempted to save them.
