Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Oct 24
National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday that Pakistan’s efforts to keep the Kashmir issue on the international agenda had helped sustain attention on the disputed region, drawing sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing a party gathering in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, Abdullah questioned whether the central government would deliver justice to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and urged them to remain politically vigilant.
“What hope will you have from them (Delhi)? Will you expect that they will do justice for you?” he said.
Abdullah argued that international attention, including Pakistan’s continued advocacy on Kashmir, had prevented the issue from disappearing from public debate.
He warned that Kashmiris risked losing their identity if they failed to defend their interests and alleged that Muslims were facing discrimination in BJP-governed states, citing demolitions of mosques, homes and shops.
The three-time chief minister said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had never rejected their accession to India, which he described in terms of the secular ideals associated with Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
He criticised what he described as attempts to divide Hindus and Muslims for political gain, expressing hope that the current situation would eventually change.
Altaf Thakur, a Jammu and Kashmir BJP spokesperson, condemned Abdullah’s remarks as “seditious and anti-national” and demanded that police register a case against him.
Thakur accused the National Conference leader of giving political legitimacy to Pakistan’s position on Kashmir, arguing that Islamabad’s support for militancy had contributed to decades of violence and civilian suffering in the region.
He also said people living in Pakistan-administered Kashmir wanted freedom from Pakistan’s rule and accused Abdullah of overlooking the sacrifices made by security personnel and civilians in the fight against militancy.
Abdullah’s remarks come amid continuing political differences between the National Conference, which leads Jammu and Kashmir’s elected government, and the BJP over the region’s political future and its relationship with the central government.
