There will be no benefit of India's bilateral talks with Pakistan if terror attacks continues from across the border, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and NC patron Farooq Abdullah said today.
"If you cannot control terrorism, how can we have better relations? How can there be good relations if you continue to send men to kill people (here)? You have seen what has happened in Pampore.
"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji has good relationship with the Prime Minister of Pakistan and we hope that this friendship will continue further and there will be further improvement in Indo-Pak relations... There will be no benefit of talks if terrorism continues. The first duty is to stop terrorism," Abdullah said.
He was asked whether India-Pakistan cricket match will give better fillip to relations between the two countries.
"We hope that the two leaders will work in that direction (building peace and friendship by stopping terrorism", he said.
"Let the friendship go to hell... You need first to control terrorism. In terror attacks, poor people are getting killed. Tourism sector is taking a hit. If terrorism continues, the tourism sector will be badly affected and the people connected with it will face losses," he said.
On the charge that polarisation is growing during the Modi government, he said, "It takes two to clap. If Congress strengthens itself and also the secular forces, they can control it. If they (Congress) resort to the statements only and do not unite all parties against this, then how can they stop it (polarisation)."
"It is wrong to blame BJP and RSS only, we too have faults. It is because of those faults that they get encouraged. Why don't we address these mistakes, we should find out where we have done mistakes due to which they have got encouraged," he said.
Asked why elections were not announced following failure of PDP and BJP to form the government after the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, he said "please ask this question to them. They have majority members, just go and ask them. We are demanding dissolution of the Assembly and going back to the people. If they have the courage to do that, they should but they don't have the courage to do it."
He alleged the central food security legislation was not in favour of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Abdullah today batted for bigger role for the
youth in political landscape in the state.
"National Conference has always provided a huge political space to the youth with an avowed objective of channelising their energies in a productive manner, so as to realise the vision of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah in making Jammu and Kashmir a peaceful and vibrant state where opportunities of progress and to grow are available to all, irrespective of region, religion or caste," he said.
He was addressing the office-bearers of Youth National Conference, Jammu Province at Sher-e-Kashmir Bhavan here.
He exhorted the youth leaders to fan out in their areas and acquaint people about the damage caused to unique social fabric of the state by the divisive politics perpetrated by myopic politicians just for their petty political interests.
