Terror and Talks can’t go together: BJP to Farooq Abdullah

The BJP today criticised National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah for advocating dialogue with Pakistan, saying “terror and talks cannot go together”.
J&K BJP spokesperson Brigadier (retd) Anil Gupta, in a statement, said Abdullah had time and again advocated talks with Pakistan as mandatory for return of peace in the Valley “knowing well that it is not India, but Pakistan that is avoiding talks”.
He was reacting to Abdullah’s statement at a public meeting in Budgam district yesterday, suggesting India and Pakistan to initiate dialogue on outstanding issues, especially on that of Kashmir.
“Those advocating violence and war are living in a fool’s paradise and their rhetoric is aimed at their own local constituencies. There is no other alternative but to talk and take into account the practical limitations of both sides,” Abdullah had said.
The BJP spokesperson said the Narendra Modi government had made it clear that Pakistan must cease its support to cross-border terrorism and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure on its soil to create a conducive environment for bilateral talks.
Gupta said the NC leader needed to know that a window existed even in a nuclear environment, he stressed. “Pakistan is using terror as a low-cost option to bleed India since it considers India as an existential threat and aims at India’s balkanisation to counter her growing might. There is no indication of any change in Pakistan’s intent despite India’s best efforts to normalise the relations,” the spokesperson said.