Farooq Abdullah Questions Claims of End to Terrorism in JK, day after Kulgam Attack
Says sporadic attacks underline continuing security threat; urges Pakistan to shun violence and pursue dialogue, reiterates J&K is an integral part of India
Srinagar, Nov 12: A day after three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday questioned claims that terrorism had ended in Jammu and Kashmir, saying sporadic attacks underscored the continuing security challenge.
Abdullah said declarations about the end of terrorism would not help address the problem, stressing that violence could strike at unexpected locations and that sustained efforts were needed to bring it to an end.
He also appealed to Pakistan to abandon the path of violence and engage in dialogue, saying terrorism would achieve nothing.
“I always tell Pakistan to stop terrorism. Nothing will come out of this. Adopt the path of dialogue, through which a way out can be found. We were both parts of one country,” Dr Farooq Abdullah told reporters as per Kashmir Convener
His remarks came a day after terrorists opened fire on a CRPF checkpoint near Mir Bazar in Kulgam on Wednesday, injuring three personnel. One of the injured personnel was reported to have sustained serious injuries.
The attack triggered a security response, with additional forces deployed in the area and a search operation launched to track down the attackers.
Questioning assertions by some political leaders in Delhi that terrorism had been eliminated from Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Farooq Abdullah said the threat continued to exist.
“Those who claim every day in Delhi that terrorism has ended should be reminded that it still exists. We have to find ways to end it,” he said.
The former chief minister, however, said people should not be made to live in fear. Reiterating his stand on Jammu and Kashmir’s political status, he said, “Kashmir was, is and will remain a part of India. They can do whatever they have to do.”
Dr Farooq Abdullah also said repeatedly raising the Kashmir issue would not help resolve it. Referring to the events surrounding the 1947 tribal invasion of Jammu and Kashmir, he recalled the killings and atrocities committed during that period, including attacks on women and the killing of a doctor, his wife and a nurse at a Christian-run hospital.
Drawing parallels with conflicts in other parts of the world, including tensions involving Iran and the United States and the Russia-Ukraine war, Abdullah said wars caused widespread destruction, damaged economies and ultimately made dialogue necessary.
His remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir following the Kulgam attack, even as the Centre and security agencies have maintained that the overall security environment in the Union Territory has improved.
Dr Farooq Abdullah reiterated that terrorism could not achieve any political objective and that dialogue remained the only viable route to lasting peace.
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