Patna: Veteran National Conference patriarch and former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah on Friday made a passionate appeal for immediate rapprochement between India and Pakistan, asserting that lasting peace in Kashmir hinges on cordial bilateral ties and not merely on military operations.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote in the final phase of the District Development Council by-elections, the 88-year-old leader welcomed the recent ceasefire understanding along the LoC but stressed it was only a beginning. “Operation Sindoor was necessary to teach Pakistan a lesson, but guns alone cannot silence the pain of Kashmiris. Real healing will come when Delhi and Islamabad sit across the table like brothers,” he remarked.
Abdullah reminded that Kashmir has borne the brunt of four wars and decades of mistrust. “We are sandwiched between two nuclear powers. If they engage in conflict, we will suffer the consequences first. Improving relations is not weakness; it is wisdom,” he said, adding that trade, travel, and people-to-people contact must resume without delay.
The NC president also applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent mention of eventual dialogue on Independence Day, urging both nations to take advantage of this opportunity. “The people of Jammu & Kashmir want peace, progress, and dignity — not body bags and barricades,” he declared.
His remarks come amid a perceptible thaw after the May 2025 ‘Operation Sindoor’ surgical strikes and subsequent back-channel diplomacy that restored the 2021 ceasefire. Political circles in Srinagar see Abdullah’s statement as a calculated nudge towards substantive talks ahead of possible high-level engagements.