Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of sabotaging the NSA-level talks between India and Pakistan. He said Mr. Sayeed prevented the Hurriyat leaders from meeting the Pakistan High Commissioner by arresting them.
“Now he [Mr. Sayeed] says that NSA talks should have been held. Jenab , if anyone sabotaged those talks, it is you when you arrested these [Hurriyat] leaders,” Mr. Abdullah said here.
The working president of the National Conference (NC) was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function to mark the 33rd death anniversary of his grandfather and party founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah at Hazratbal.
“Where has that Mufti gone, who used to say that this is the battle of ideas? Those people, with whom his thinking does not match, are arrested. You said in your agenda for alliance [Common Minimum Programme] that you will facilitate dialogue between the Centre and the Hurriyat. [But] when you did not permit Hurriyat to talk to Pakistan in Delhi, how would you let them talk to the Centre,” he said.
Mr. Abdullah, however, also said Pakistan was deliberately creating obstacles in the way of dialogue.
“If a solution would have happened due to gun, then we have been facing the gun for the 25 years but we aren’t anywhere near a solution. India and Pakistan have fought three-and-a-half wars, the issue has not been resolved,” he said.
