Daily Times

National Conference President Farooq Abdullah has denounced the normalcy propaganda being paddled by the Modi-led Indian regime in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and asked for addressing the core issue of Kashmir through talks with Pakistan.

According to Kashmir Media Service, talking in Srinagar, Farooq Abdullah said, militancy is alive in Jammu and Kashmir and it cannot be finished by the use of military or police, urging New Delhi to find ways to address its root cause.

“Shouting normalcy or propagating tourist arrivals,” he said adding that peace will not finish militancy which is still alive.

Modi government, he said, is claiming that militancy has finished with the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, but four years down the line, it is still there and will not finish till we try to understand its root, a reference to the lingering Kashmir dispute. He was reacting to the killing of retired police officer who was shot dead at his Gantmulla village in Baramulla district. “Those who are claiming normalcy are silent… they tried to heal the wounds in a superficial manner rather than addressing the root cause,” Abdullah said.

He said the Modi government has to find ways in the right perspective to end bloodshed in Jammu and Kashmir, and advised New Delhi that if it really wants to end militancy, it will have to “look for ways rather than claiming normalcy or talking about tourism which is fragile under the shadow of terrorism”. The use of military or police is not going to finish militancy, he said. “We have to go deeper and address the root cause to finish it off.” Asked about recent incidents in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, Abdullah said this contradicts the government’s claims that everything is ‘honky-dory’. “Where are those shouting normalcy? Nothing is going to be achieved by propaganda as people are dying here. They have to find a solution and Farooq Abdullah does not have a book with a ready-made solution,” he said.

Asked whether he wants India and Pakistan to talk to address the problem, Abdullah said the central government has to decide on the subject.

Abdullah demanded a judicial inquiry into the killing of the three civilians in Indian army’s custody and exemplary punishment to those involved in the brual murder. “The killing of the civilians is a sad incident and a human rights violation,” he said.