Farooq Abdullah urges people of Jammu and Kashmir to take stand against perpetrators of Pahalgam-like attacks

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state visited the residence of Adil Hussain Shah, a pony ride operator who was among the 26 victims, at Hapatnaar in this south Kashmir district.

Anantnag: National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah on Saturday urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to stand against the perpetrators of Pahalgam-like attacks for progress and prosperity, asserting that the doors of hell were open for those behind the massacre.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state visited the residence of Adil Hussain Shah, a pony ride operator who was among the 26 victims of the April 22 attack, at Hapatnaar in this south Kashmir district.

"He (Shah) is a martyr. He sacrificed his life, he was not afraid of the guns of the beasts. This is 'insaniyat (humanity)', this is Kashmiriyat. One who is afraid is dead," Abdullah said.

"We have to fight them (terrorists) and fight them with courage. We will never be happy and prosperous and we can never move forward until we fight them. So, we must have courage," he added.

Abdullah, however, refused to comment on India's actions against Pakistan in the aftermath of the attack. "Our prime minister will take such a decision."

On Pakistan Peoples Party leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's threatening remarks against India, the National Conference chief said, "He (Bhutto) will continue to issue statements ... If we care about his statements, we cannot move forward."

After India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, Bhutto-Zardari was quoted as saying by The News, "The Indus is ours and will remain ours -- either our water will flow through it or their blood."

Abdullah also called for the treaty to be revisited.

"We have been saying for a long time that we need to revisit the IWT. We are suffering losses because of it. The rivers are ours but we are suffering. I am not saying that water be stopped but we also have a right over it," he said.

Jammu faces water shortages and water from the Chenab cannot be diverted for residents of the region because of the treaty, Abdullah said.

"We had tried to divert water from the Chenab to them but the World Bank did not help us, saying it came under the IWT. Today, we have an opportunity to get water to Jammu from there (Chenab). We have a right over the rivers as well, not just them (Pakistan)," he added.

Brokered by the World Bank, the IWT governed the distribution and use of the Indus river and its tributaries between India and Pakistan from 1960.

Abdullah said India could not build any projects on its rivers without Pakistan's permission because of the treaty.

"Are you not deprived of electricity? We have rivers from where we can generate thousands of megawatts of electricity and can never be deprived of electricity. But we cannot build any projects as they (Pakistan) do not permit us. So, we have to revisit it and, God willing, we will," he said.

Asked about the war-like situation prevailing between the two nuclear powers in wake of the attack, Abdullah said, "I have no answer to such questions."

Speaking on the Pahalgam massacre, the National Conference chief urged people not to be afraid of such attacks and said those behind it would rot in hell.

"Those who did that and those behind it murdered humanity. The doors of hell are open for them. They cannot enter heaven," he said.

During his visit, Abdullah presented one month's basic salary of Pahalgam MLA Altaf Kaloo to Hyder Shah, the pony ride operator's father.

Hyder Shah expressed his gratitude to Abdullah and National Conference leaders for their support and solidarity during this time.

Abdullah later travelled to Pahalgam and interacted with several tourists. He also clicked selfies with them.