Abdullah offers supports to Hurriyat for people’s rights

Former Union minister and Opposition National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said that he and his party will throw their weight behind the separatist Hurriyat Conference in the struggle to getting the people of Kashmir their political right.

“It is not a question of whether I support the Hurriyat or am against it. I’m with them as far as their asking for the right of the people is concerned. We in the National Conference were never against those who talk for the political rights of the people of Kashmir nor are we against them today,” he said when asked to elaborate on his assertion earlier that the NC was with the united separatist leadership in pursuing the “just cause” of their people.

“Farooq Abdullah never spoke anything that could be dubbed as anti national. Kashmir issue is a reality. I didn’t create this masla.”

It continues to be on the agenda of the United Nations Organisation. Indira Gandhiji as Prime Minister of India and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as her counterpart from Pakistan signed an agreement at Shimla in 1972 which also acknowledged the issue of Kashmir and agreed to resolve it amicably through dialogue,” he said.

Replying questions, he said that he understands that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to address the issue of Kashmir. Even if that is not the case, he strongly believed that they “ought to resolve Kashmir through the process of dialogue one day” as there was “no other way out” for them.

Taking a dig at the Prime Minister over his recent statement threatening to stop the flow of river water to Pakistan, he said that these rivers which were already with it (Pakistan).

He said that the average Indian was not aware of the ground realities and, therefore, is being misled through a section of the media on such issues.