Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi has rejected former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah contention that Pakistan can't be blamed for the unrest in the Kashmir Valley, saying that state sponsored terrorism in the region has to be laid at Islamabad's doorstep.
"People from Pakistan who trespass the border, provoke the youth of Kashmir, who had faced atrocities in the past, are the same culprits who promote terrorism in the country," he said.
Azmi told ANI, "Pakistan is fully responsible for destroying peace in Kashmir, even though the government is unable to deliver justice to Muslims of Kashmir."
Azmi, who is the president of the Maharashtra unit of the Samajwadi Party, suggested that the Instrument of Accession agreement done at the time of independence should be followed properly by the Indian and Pakistan governments and Kashmiris should get their rights.
Azmi cautioned the regimes that there should not be any instance where wrong action takes place and the nation faces a negative reaction as a result.
He asserted that governments need to be soft on Kashmiris and then only it can help in solving the long standing issue.
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Abdullah earlier in the day criticised the Centre for failing to take concrete measures to curb the unrest in Kashmir post the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani and said that it would be a "grave mistake" to always blame Pakistan and turning a blind eye to internal issues.
"Simply blaming Pakistan for the present situation, then, it would mean that we don't have to do anything to prevent the unrest, which I think would be a grave mistake. We need to have talks internally, we need to solve this political crisis and until we are conscious of this reality, I don't think we can take any concrete action," Omar told reporters here.
Omar's remarks came days after he reprimanded incumbent Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for the prolonged unrest in Kashmir and asked the latter to take responsibility for the same.