Jahangeer Ganaie
Anantnag, May 3: Asserting that Kashmir will always remain an integral part of India, National Conference (NC) President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that Pakistan and terrorists have failed in their ploy of creating a wedge between Muslims and Hindus.
Talking to the reporters here in Pahalgam, Dr Farooq said that the people have given the biggest message to them that they are not scared. “We are in Pahalgam right now and it makes us happy to see the people visiting here without any fear,” he said.
“Those who wanted to scare us have failed. The perpetrators of the attack have also failed. They were in belief that they will divide Muslims and Hindus, they have failed. They have failed in achieving Kashmir. Today it has proven that the people are not scared,” he said, adding that Kashmir is part of India, was part of India and will always remain its integral part.
Asked about the tensions between the two countries, Dr Farooq said that the tensions will flare up when they have committed this action. “People want to see an end of terrorism. For how long are we going to see this terrorism? We have been witnessing it for the past 35 years now. We want to move forward and witness growth. But, they (Pakistan) are halting our growth and beehive that they will make us beggars like their own country. We don’t want to remain beggars as we will have to move forward. We will surely become a superpower one day,” he added.
In response to another query on the Indus Water Treaty, Dr Farooq said, “We have been saying for a long time that the IWT needs to be reviewed. We are facing hardships because of this treaty. Despite having our own rivers, we are experiencing a water crisis. We are not asking them to stop providing water to them (Pakistan), but we also have a right to it,” he said.
Earlier, Dr Farooq Abdullah visited the family of Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who lost his life while protecting tourists during the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 people, mostly visitors, dead.
Dr Farooq handed over the one-month basic salary of the concerned Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Pahalgam, Altaf Kaloo, to Adil’s father, Hyder Shah, at his residence in Pahalgam.
The father of the Pahalgam braveheart thanked Dr Farooq Abdullah and other leaders for expressing solidarity and sharing their grief.
