TEHELKA WEB DESK
Srinagar, July 29: Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday urged the Centre to speak out on the reported killings and hardships in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) if it considers the region an integral part of India, saying the government cannot remain silent while claiming ownership of the territory.
Addressing reporters in Srinagar, the National Conference president said he had repeatedly appealed to the United Nations Human Rights mechanisms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to intervene and address the situation in PoK. “I have requested the United Nations Human Rights Commission to go there, see their problems and try to solve them. I have also appealed to the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister,” Abdullah said.
Questioning the Centre’s position on PoK, Abdullah said the government often asserts that the region belongs to India but has not spoken publicly about the reported violence there. “They keep saying it is our part. If it is your part, then why don’t you speak about what is happening there? Why don’t you say the killings should stop? I have not heard any statement from them,” he said.
Abdullah also backed the ongoing student protests, warning that the agitation would continue if the authorities failed to honour the commitments made to the protesters. “If the promises made to them are not fulfilled and instead they face FIRs, arrests and harassment, this campaign will continue. The students have risen and, God willing, they will carry it forward,” he said.
