‘IF NORTH, S KOREA CAN BE FRIENDS AFTER 70 YEARS, WHY CAN’T INDIA, PAK COME CLOSE‘

SRINAGAR:WHILE pushing for DGMO level talks to stop shelling on border, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday invoked camaraderie between once rivals North and South Korea and pushed for friendship between India and Pakistan.

While addressing a rally in Srinagar, Mehbooba said the conflict going on India and Pakistan borders continued when other countries are moving ahead in friendship.

“Our agenda is like what our former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said, we can change our friends not neighbours. Like my colleague, Mehboob Beigh Sahib here said North and South Korea became friends after 70 years for the sake of people. But, here shelling goes uninterrupted on our borders leading to loss of lives on both sides of the border. Until both the countries agree to be friends, situation won’t improve,” she said.

Mehbooba said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir explains the relation between India and Pakistan.

“That is why we want talks with them,” she said.

On the sidelines of the function, she later termed the bloodshed on the borders between India and Pakistan as ‘unfortunate despite talks’ between director generals of military operations of both the countries on May 29.

“This is unfortunate that despite director general of military operations

(DGMO) talks, there has been ceasefire violation on the border in which we lost our two jawans and left many civilians injured. This should not happen. DGMOS should meet and talk again and the shelling, bloodshed on borders should be stopped,” she said.

Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik, have said they were ready for the dialogue provided there was clarity on what would be the agenda for the talks.