SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday strongly disagreed with National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah’s remarks that Pakistan’s raising of the Kashmir issue at international forums had helped keep the region safe.
Reacting to Abdullah’s statement made at a party event in Budgam on Saturday, Azad said the remarks were incorrect and accused Pakistan of being an enemy of India and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“I respect Farooq sahab, but his statement is completely incorrect. If anyone is an enemy of India and the people of J&K, it is Pakistan,” Azad said in a post on X.
Referring to the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Azad pointed to protests by residents demanding their rights. He also said successive governments at the Centre, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, had contributed to Jammu and Kashmir’s development irrespective of political affiliations.
Shia leader and former minister Imran Ansari also criticised Abdullah, urging Kashmiris not to follow his example. In a post on X, Ansari alleged that the political space available to Abdullah and a select group of leaders was not equally accessible to ordinary citizens.
Describing the NC leadership’s dissent as a “rented rebellion”, Ansari claimed that ordinary Kashmiris expressing similar views risked detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) or the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had on Saturday demanded police action against Abdullah over his remarks.
BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur described the statement as “seditious and anti-national” and called for Abdullah to be booked, arguing that his remarks gave political legitimacy to Pakistan’s narrative on Kashmir.
Thakur also accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism that had inflicted decades of violence, targeted killings and suffering on Jammu and Kashmir. He questioned Abdullah’s assessment of Pakistan’s role, citing the region’s history of bloodshed and insecurity.
