Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday said India should turn to third parties, such as the United States and China, for mediation in the Kashmir issue.
His comment attracted immediate condemnation from the ruling BJP-PDP alliance in J-K. "Condemn his statement. When he was chief minister, he'd talked of attacking Pakistan. Why this two-faced approach?" J&K deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh was quoted as saying.
Advocating a dialogue between Indian and Pakistan amid tensions along the Line of Control (LoC), Abdullah said violence and warfare were not the solution to settle the Kashmir dispute which has plagued both the countries for nearly seven decades.
"For how long are you going to wait? Sometimes, you have to catch the bull by the horns. War means annihilation, as they (Pakistan) have atomic bombs, just like we do. The way (to resolve the issue) is through dialogue," Abdullah said.
The former J-K chief minister said India had many allies across the globe who can act as intermediators to help settle the Kashmir issue.
"Use your allies to initiate a dialogue and find a lasting solution. US President Donald Trump has said he wants to settle the Kashmir problem, we didn't ask them to. China also said that it wants to mediate in Kashmir. Somebody has to be approached," Abdullah said.
Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's remark — “Friends can be changed, but not neighbours” — the NC leader said that arrogance and stubbornness would not let the two countries progress.