Farooq Abdullah says India-Pakistan friendship essential for resolving disputes
Srinagar : National Conference President Farooq Abdullah has stressed that dialogue, friendship and mutual respect between India and Pakistan are essential for resolving longstanding disputes and ensuring lasting peace in South Asia.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Farooq Abdullah, while addressing a public event in Srinagar, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, said recent statements from influential Indian circles in favour of engagement with Pakistan indicate a growing realization that confrontation and hostility cannot bring stability to the region.
Referring to remarks by RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale and former Indian military officials advocating dialogue with Pakistan, Abdullah said even voices within India now acknowledge that cooperation between the two nuclear neighbours is necessary to address pressing issues.
“If we are friends, then we can speak with respect,” he said, emphasizing that peaceful relations and people-to-people contact are the only way forward.
The NC president expressed hope that international powers and forums, including BRICS, would play a constructive role in promoting peace and reducing tensions in the region and beyond. He said the international community must encourage dialogue and diplomatic engagement instead of policies of confrontation.
Political observers said the increasing calls within India for talks with Pakistan reflect the failure of New Delhi’s aggressive and isolation-driven policies, particularly after Pakistan’s growing diplomatic relevance at the international level. They said India’s repeated attempts to isolate Pakistan have instead exposed New Delhi’s own diplomatic setbacks, forcing even influential Indian leaders and former military figures to admit that sustainable peace can only come through dialogue and mutual respect.
Analysts added that the statements also underline the importance of resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, as lasting peace in South Asia remains impossible without a just settlement of the longstanding conflict.
