National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday made a strong pitch for dialogue between India and Pakistan, asserting that bullets and military confrontation cannot resolve political disputes and that meaningful engagement must begin without waiting for hostilities to end.
The former chief minister also asserted that Kashmir is, was and will remain an integral part of India.
"Ab aap intezaar karenge, jab tak aap sabki goliyan band ho jayengi, tab tak raat ho jayegi" (If you keep waiting for everyone to stop firing, it will be too late by the time the guns fall silent), Abdullah said in Jammu.
He was responding to a question about the BJP-led government's stated position that talks and bullets cannot go together.
Talking to reporters after visiting the family of retired information officer Madan Mantoo, who recently died of cardiac arrest, the National Conference leader urged Pakistan to abandon terrorism and work for creating a conducive atmosphere for dialogue with India.
"I have always told Pakistan to stop terrorism. Nothing can be achieved through terrorism. The process of dialogue must begin because only through talks can a way forward be found," he said.
Abdullah noted that wars and military confrontations only bring destruction, pointing to the ongoing devastation being witnessed in Iran and Ukraine, and stressed that lasting solutions can emerge only through negotiations and mutual engagement.
Calling for the revival of SAARC, Abdullah said regional countries must come together, resolve their differences and work towards collective progress, citing the European Union as an example of former adversaries building a common future through cooperation.
"India is the largest country in the region, and Indira Gandhi had shown the way for India to maintain cordial and sympathetic relations with neighbouring countries. We must revive SAARC so that all of us can sit together, resolve our disputes and work towards progress and development," he said.
Reacting to the recent twin terror attacks in Kulgam and Kishtwar districts, which claimed the lives of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and left three CRPF personnel injured within two days, Abdullah asserted that those harbouring ambitions of taking Kashmir must abandon such notions, asserting that terrorism would never succeed in its designs.
However, he expressed concern over claims in Delhi that terrorism had ended in Jammu and Kashmir, maintaining that the recent incidents indicate that the threat continues to persist and that concrete measures are needed to eliminate it.
"I have already said such incidents are still happening. One never knows where the next attack might take place," he said.
Asked about claims of peace and normalcy in Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370, particularly in view of recent attacks in Kishtwar, Abdullah acknowledged that while terrorism still exists, people should not be afraid, asserting that Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral part of India.
Clarifying his earlier remarks about Pakistan, Abdullah said his statement had been misrepresented, adding that he was recalling the atrocities committed during the 1947 tribal invasion, including the killing of a Christian doctor and his family and the rape of nuns at a Baramulla hospital.
He also said Pakistan must move beyond repeatedly raising the Kashmir issue, stressing that disputes cannot be resolved through military action.
(With inputs from PTI)