Don't let Pakistan win: Farooq Abdullah urges tourists to defy fear, visit Kashmir

India Today

Amid rising security concerns in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday appealed to tourists not to abandon their travel plans, asserting that their presence is a powerful message against fear and terrorism.

Transcript

00:00and as the country grapples with grief and anger over the dastardly massacre by terrorists in

00:08pehel gamm i'm joined by a very special guest the president of the jammu and kashmir national

00:14conference the ruling party of the of the union territory of jammu and kashmir and multiple times

00:19chief minister dr faruk abdullah joins me appreciate you're joining us dr faruk abdullah

00:24they're from jammu your first reactions to what happened yesterday this dastardly attack

00:35i think it's the greatest tragedy we have faced after what happened and we're martyred

00:46and i think this is a disaster

00:48we were thinking peace has returned and great slogans are made that we have uprooted

00:59all these elements i think those who said these things were completely unaware

01:07or uninformed that they still exist

01:10i i but the fact is you're saying that these elements still exist the truth of the matter

01:19therefore is and you've seen it in your times as well that pakistan sponsored terror continues to wreak

01:26havoc uh in jammu and kashmir over the years and what are you therefore squarely blaming pakistan

01:36for what happened in phil gum radeep we have faced this for past 40 years

01:46we have continuously said that is coming from there every time

01:55we have never stopped saying that we continue to say

01:59and we'll continue to say it till it's ended

02:06but who is accountable who is accountable what is the solution from the late 80s now to 2025 at various

02:14stages pakistan has bloodied the kashmir valley who how do you then tackle it what is the solution dr abdullah

02:23that is the solution that government of india has to find

02:29it is they who are responsible for the security

02:34and well-being of the people of this nation it is for them to take their decisive steps to end this

02:45nasty things that are happening and are complete

02:48it state state is suffering how long you think will continue to suffer

02:58but there was a sense dr abdullah after the revocation of article 370 that normalcy was returning

03:04to the kashmir valley uh major infrastructure projects were put in place there was development

03:09elections took place last year with a relatively high turnout are you saying that this one incident

03:15pushes us back uh yet again the government of india will say look we've actually made some tangible

03:22gains on the ground in the last few years please it is not this only palgam incident what about what

03:30happened in bilawar what happened in jammu regions in rajori in punch

03:36but but when you see it has been continuously happening

03:47yes dr abdullah but the truth of the matter is let's be clear you were chief minister of

03:52for several years at that stage nothing could be resolved now you've got the modi government

03:56earlier you've had vajpayee's government manmohansi's government no no government no individual government

04:02whether in srinagar or in delhi sir has been able to find a silver bullet magic solution to end

04:08cross-border terrorism faced with a country like pakistan that determined that seems determined

04:15to bleed us in in jammu and kashmir they have been bleeding us slowly and steadily there's nothing new

04:23about for 40 years they've been bleeding us and they will continue to bleed us unless we start thinking

04:33and think positively

04:36of how to get rid of this what do you mean by think positively in the past you've been among

04:42the advocates for a dialogue with pakistan uh there are others who believe the time for dialogue is long

04:48over now you need to have some very concrete action possibly even across the border there

04:54surgical strikes have taken place there was bala code what according to you is the positive action

04:58that needs to be taken let me tell you our team i am not in command and i'm not going to suggest

05:07anything to government of india they don't need my suggestion i think they are intelligent enough

05:15to decide themselves but i'll definitely like to tell them you can't have dual control in kashmir

05:22whereas lieutenant gunter government governor control security controls police he controls

05:30the unified command the state government does not have any say in these things imagine we are elected

05:39government and elected government is never brought into discussions when security matters are discussed

05:48how do you think you will resolve these problems unless you have the state government and the people

05:54to sit with you and decide how to get on i'm told today there was a security review meeting and

06:01omar abdullah was not invited for that meeting are you saying therefore

06:05that omar abdullah and the national conference government have no bear no responsibility

06:12last time when the home minister came only a week ago

06:18he had security meeting chief minister was not in it it's only this thing when this time this happened

06:26chief minister was called into the meeting let's be very straight about it

06:30but therefore are you saying the chief minister bears no accountability no responsibility

06:40it's not a question of responsibility you have taken him out of the responsibility

06:49it's not we we still are fighting we are still bleeding but the first person who died today in that act

06:57in that act was an ordinary horseman saeed hussein poor fellow he was the first man who jumped at this

07:07terrorist tried to grab his gun and lost his life he said this is not right what you are doing

07:16he had that courage and determination to fight these people

07:20but the truth of the matter is while uh the truth of the matter is these terrorists singled out

07:32hindus targeted them and thereby want to drive a wedge between hindus and muslims these were targeted

07:38killings dr abdullah rajdeep it's not today only they've always done before also the same thing

07:46they targeted hindus to create a wedge which has now been playing heavily in the country heavily

07:58we see how much division is taking place between hindus and muslims because of pakistan's actions

08:09are you going to put all the blame only on pakistan today what about kashmir itself the fact is

08:15that there is a belief that there was some local kashmiris possibly also involved in this operation

08:25who who says no who says no

08:32when it started in 89 there are people there will be people they have to be dealt with

08:40so you're saying there are elements within the valley who are who are patronized by pakistan there

08:49are elements across the border who have entered and and and bloodied the valley you are calling for stern

08:57action against all of them you will support any action that narendra modi government takes am i correct

09:02radeep we all want to live in peace and harmony and brotherhood

09:11take action which will try to bring that brotherhood back in our nation at all costs

09:22yes sir but you will understand the anger and frustration of people because 35 years have elapsed

09:27from the time when you were chief minister and kashmiri pundits were driven out to today what we've

09:32seen in palgam there have been repeated attempts made by pakistan to bloody the soil of kashmir and yet

09:39nothing seems to change that that anger and frustration surely you will share of the people of this country

09:46you know today for the first time after 35 years

09:50whole kashmir has risen up against this do you see this it's a major change

09:59major change they don't want anything to do with pakistan we are part of the nation

10:05called india and we will remain part of this nation called india

10:12do you see therefore anger and frustration building up in kashmir against pakistan and indeed

10:17all those who use the gun to resolve issues you believe that kashmir has reached a tipping point

10:25sir rajib haven't you seen the anger in the valley today have you ever seen this before

10:33have you ever seen this there's a complete ship

10:40and i'm proud of that ship

10:42will the will it last in your view will it last will it be able to sustain itself it will last so

10:52long as we live in brotherhood and don't commute create further communal tension this will last

11:01do you have a message for the pakistani army chief who only last week said hindus and muslims cannot live

11:07together and emphasize the two nation theory do you have a message for general mir today

11:13i would like to tell the general we never accepted two nation theory god is creator of everyone

11:22whether he's a hindu he's a muslim he's a sikh he's a christian or he's a buddhist or anything

11:28he's a creator you cannot divide people on the basis of religion if religion was to be a dividend factor

11:38then bangladesh would never have been created what what is your message to the tourists you will

11:46understand that tourists are fearful now they are leaving the valley in droves this was expected to be

11:51the big bumper tourist season in the kashpir valley what will you tell those victims as well as those

11:59who have yes go ahead tell them by not coming you are going to win the battle that pakistan is trying to

12:08win come come in larger numbers so that we can tell them that you cannot deter us this is our land

12:18and we are going to come in herds here don't be afraid we have to fight them and by not coming

12:27you're already given to pakistan acts sir there are those who are calling today for ministerial

12:33resignations that the home minister must be held accountable there were intelligence lapses what's your

12:38view should this not be should this be a moment to play politics or is this a moment to stand united in grief

12:45and anger i think we should stand united and not try to put fingers at each other not this is the moment

12:58when nation must stand together as they stood together when kargil war took place

13:04we need that unity today we need that understanding between each other hold each other's hand

13:10and show our enemy that we are not going to be defeated we are not going to accept your hedge money

13:21faruq abdullah those are very strong words in a moment i want to take you to our hindi network

13:25as well uh but i appreciate you joining me and speaking so uh plainly and firmly sending out a very

13:34i want to give you one thing you know i didn't give you to any media you i gave of this interview

13:42because you're one man in this country who stands for truth who stands a brotherhood who stands for

13:48unity of every man that is why i gave you this interview because i'm proud of you that you're not afraid

13:56to use your word so my my thoughts though today i'm very kind sir but my thoughts today are with the

14:02victims with the families and with the people who have lost their near and dear ones as i'm sure are

14:09your thoughts and prayers as well dr abdul i cannot tell you how much i i i i i didn't have the words i i

14:19can't even think that such a thing could happen to people who had gone for enjoyment and they have

14:27to meet that death it just shook me i'm still not normal i don't think i'll be normal ever what they

14:35have done dr abdullah i understand i i know that your your pain and anguish you told me this this

14:43morning also is genuine you haven't slept all night you said you you were shaken by what's happened as the

14:49nation has been but as you rightly said this is a moment also for collective resolve and to send

14:55out a firm message to those who try and divide us faruq abdullah for joining me here today we are

15:01not going to bow that they should understand yes sir dr faruq abdullah thank you very much for joining me

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