Enough Is Enough: Farooq Abdullah Urges Pakistan To End Kashmir Violence

Asserting that "enough is enough", National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said Pakistan should "call it a day" and bring an end to the cycle of violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

While terrorism has largely declined, Pakistan’s continued refusal to accept Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India is still fuelling unrest in the region, the three-time former chief minister said.

"My humble advice to both these nations, my own nation and Pakistan, is that the time has come. Let us leave the path of violence and start finding ways of peace so that we can live with honour and dignity," the 88-year-old told PTI in an interview.

Referring to the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed, he described it as a "big blow" to efforts aimed at restoring brotherhood in the region. At the same time, he said, it brought people across Jammu and Kashmir onto the streets in protest — a clear signal that terrorism was being rejected.

The grief extended beyond the families of the victims and was shared by people across Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

"They (people) came out on the streets without anybody asking them to do so... they came out voluntarily and said this is not us we're not part of it," Abdullah said, recalling the protests that followed the attack last April.

According to him, residents of the region, particularly in the Valley, sent a strong message to Pakistan that violence must end.

"I hope our neighbour realised we will never favour terrorism and we will never be part of any such war in the future. This is not us. We are not animals. We are peace loving people and we want peace to prevail. Enough is enough... call it a day," he added.

Abdullah also said the biggest threat to the youth in Jammu and Kashmir today is no longer militancy but a growing drug epidemic "eating the vitals" of not just the Union Territory but the entire country.

Expressing concern that some locals are involved in the trade for financial gain, he called for a strict crackdown so that "no one dares to continue this menace".

"No religion preaches drug abuse," he said, adding that the fight against narcotics cannot be left to the government alone.

"This menace has to be fought by every parent and every citizen," he said, urging a united effort to eliminate the problem.

A former Union minister in the UPA-II government led by Manmohan Singh, Abdullah, who represented India at the United Nations in the early 1990s, said wars only worsen problems rather than resolve them.

He pointed to global conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in West Asia involving Iran, the US and Israel, saying they have driven inflation higher and deepened poverty worldwide. "Look at Europe today. Prosperous countries are facing tremendous problems. America itself is in no good way because of this war."

Three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists had opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow on April 22 last year, killing 25 tourists and a local pony operator who tried to save them.

(with PTI inputs)