Srinagar: National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said that India needs to wake up, talk to Pakistan, find a political solution for Kashmir or lose it.
While speaking to India Today, the former chief minister said, “Wake up, wake up. The situation is quite bad, and don’t tell me Pakistan is not a party to this problem. Whether you like it or not, you have to talk to Pakistan. If you want to beat the threat of the terrorists, then you better start talking now.”
He added, “You are losing Kashmir. You better wake up, and start thinking on not a military solution, but a political way. And come down from your high horses…I am seeing a very bad situation. The youth is on boil, which I have not seen before.”
Abdullah maintained that youth of the valley are not risking their lives for MLAship and added that the loss of lives during the by-polls were a ‘tragedy and the failure of the government of the day.’
“Why am I playing with fire? Is that not true? Are the stone pelters fighting for MP-ship or MLA-ship or some ministerial post? Wake up, before it is too late,” Abdullah said.
He also said that New Delhi should stop considering Kashmir as a ‘law and order’ problem and start talking to Hurriyat and the youth.
“Let’s not burn, let’s talk to the youth, Hurriyat, [and] other leaders and come to a solution,” he said. “You have 8 people dead, and God knows how many injured. How long will you keep on doing this? You think its all law and order? Or, you think by development you can change the mind of people?” Abdullah asked.
The NC President, while responding to the allegation that he almost endorsed ‘Azadi’ during his by-poll campaign said, “Sometime ago, a Parliamentary delegation came to Kashmir under the leadership of the home minister. The delegation was told that we will talk to the youth and all the stakeholders. Have they done so, in a single step, in the last two years? Why do you blame me?”
