Politics · India · 2 hrs ago
Farooq Abdullah’s remarks on Pakistan and Kashmir spark political row
National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah said Pakistan helps keep Kashmir’s status unresolved by raising the issue at international forums.
He made the remarks at a party workers’ meeting in Baramulla, in Kashmir Valley, and said Pakistan’s intentions were otherwise not good.
Abdullah also urged National Conference members to stay loyal to the party and referred to past violence in Kashmir, including the 1947 tribal invasion and the killing of 36 Sikhs in Chittisinghpura in 2000.
The BJP condemned the remarks and demanded a public apology, while other critics also warned against following Abdullah’s example.
The dispute matters because it has reopened arguments over Pakistan’s role in Kashmir and the region’s relationship with India.
There was no public response from his son, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, by late Saturday, and the sources do not say whether Farooq Abdullah will apologise.
Farooq Abdullah said Pakistan had kept the Kashmir issue alive internationally, which he said was helping Kashmiris.
The National Conference president made the remarks at a party workers’ meeting in Baramulla on Saturday.
He also said Pakistan’s intentions were not good and condemned atrocities during the 1947 tribal invasion.
BJP leaders condemned his comments and demanded a public apology.
- Who
- Farooq Abdullah, president of the National Conference, made the remarks. BJP leaders and Peoples Conference’s Imran Reza Ansari criticised them.
- What
- Abdullah said Pakistan’s continued discussion of Kashmir internationally was helping Kashmiris, while adding that Pakistan’s intentions were not good. His remarks sparked a political row.
- When
- Saturday, October 24, 2026.
- Where
- A National Conference workers’ meeting in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir.
- Why
- Abdullah said the unresolved Kashmir issue and international attention were helping Kashmiris. He also urged National Conference workers to remain loyal to the party.
Farooq Abdullah and the National Conference
BJP leaders
Pakistan’s role
Farooq Abdullah and the National Conference
Abdullah said Pakistan had kept the Kashmir issue alive internationally, which was helping Kashmiris, though he said Pakistan’s intentions were not good.
BJP leaders
BJP leaders condemned the remarks as pro-Pakistan and said Pakistan was not a well-wisher of Jammu and Kashmir.
Response to remarks
Farooq Abdullah and the National Conference
Abdullah’s reported comments included criticism of the Centre and calls for Kashmiris to have courage.
BJP leaders
BJP leaders demanded a public apology and described the comments as condemnable.
Farooq Abdullah made the remarks at a National Conference workers’ meeting in Baramulla.
BJP leaders condemned the remarks and called for Abdullah to apologise.
- Speaker
- Farooq Abdullah
- Party
- National Conference
- Location
- Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir
- Pakistan-related claim
- Pakistan had kept the Kashmir issue alive internationally, Abdullah said
- BJP response
- Leaders demanded a public apology
4 sources
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Altaf Thakur flay Farooq Abdullah’s remarks on Pakistan as ‘Kashmir’s saviour’
Farooq Abdullah's comments on Pakistan and Kashmir draw flak
Farooq Abdullah's remarks on Pakistan, Kashmiris spark row; BJP demands apology
What people are saying
otherwise their intentions are not good
treason
This is the land of Maqbool Sherwani, who stood against invaders, not a stage to whitewash Pakistan’s bloody history
Farooq Abdullah needs to understand that he has the freedom to say whatever he wishes in this country.
Posts on X
VIDEO | Baramulla: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) President Farooq Abdullah credits Pakistan for raising Kashmir issue, says our neighbour 'protecting us'. (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p)
#WATCH | Jamm: On Farooq Abdullah's reported statement about Pakistan, J&K BJP President Sat Sharma says, "Farooq Abdullah needs to understand that he has the freedom to say whatever he wishes in this country. It is precisely because of this freedom that he is able to make such