'Kashmir a political issue, needs political solution'

Regional National Conference (NC) patron and Member Parliament (MP) Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said Kashmir is a political issue which needs a political solution in such a way that no party (India or Pakistan) should feel betrayed.

“A political problem requires a political solution just like Kashmir requires one,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function to commemorate the 19th death anniversary of his mother Begum Akbar Jehan.

Abdullah, a three-time chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said that all the three divisions of the state - Jammu, Ladakh or Kashmir - should acknowledge that ‘political solution.’

“Moreover, neither India nor Pakistan should feel betrayed by the solution,” the NC chief said.

On Wednesday, he urged New Delhi to “seize the golden opportunity” and hold talks with all stakeholders, including separatist leaders in the state.

“Opening of channels of dialogue between the Centre and the state would lead to a successful outcome. We have been hearing the catchwords of ‘Kashmiriyat, Jamhooriyat and Insaniyat’ for long now, however, nothing substantial has been done to materialise them,” he said.

“The BJP-led Central government should without any delay tread the path as shown by (Atal Behari) Vajpayee. The Centre should move in that direction and hold talks with all stakeholders in the state on the principles advocated by him,” Abdullah added.

He also said New Delhi should address the external dimensions of the issue and use the method of tact and diplomacy. “The central government should continue with the good work done by former prime minister Manmohan Singh. Pakistan too should attend to the genuine grievances of India," the NC chief said.