The main victims of the volatile situation on the borders are the people of Jammu and Kashmir, former Chief Minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah said on Tuesday.
Addressing public meetings in Rajouri and Poonch districts of the Jammu region on Tuesday, Farooq said: "Primary victims of the volatile situation at the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border, coupled with the unrest in Kashmir, are the people of the state -- both along the borders and elsewhere in the state."
"There is no substitute to peace, and both India and Pakistan understand that wars cannot solve political issues. Political issues have to be resolved amicably and through a meaningful and credible political process," Farooq said.
He recalled the peace dividends of the ceasefire agreement reached between the two neighbouring nations during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and said he saw no reason why that experiment and spirit cannot be implemented now.
"How long shall we remain in the state of animosity and hostility," he asked.
Farooq referred to the unimaginable sufferings caused to border dwellers due to dislocation from their homes in the wake of shelling and cross-LoC firing, stating that unfortunately, "this has become a routine for the past few years".
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"The dislocation brings with it the trauma of deprivation and disempowerment, as farmers cannot harvest their crops, economic activity gets paralysed and a fear psychosis engulfs everyone, while children are deprived of their dreams," he observed, and prayed that the current turbulent situation is de-escalated without any further delay.
--IANS
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