'If anyone is an enemy of J&K, it is Pakistan': Ghulam Nabi Azad counters Farooq Abdullah

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday criticised National Conference president Farooq Abdullah over his remarks on Pakistan's role in Kashmir, calling his statement "completely incorrect". Azad asserted that Pakistan was an enemy of India and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"I respect Farooq sahab, but his statement is completely incorrect. If anyone is an enemy of India and the people of J&K, it is Pakistan," Azad wrote on X.

Azad was responding to Abdullah's remarks at a National Conference event in Budgam on Saturday, where the former chief minister claimed that Pakistan's repeated efforts to raise the Kashmir issue at international forums had helped keep the region safe.

Rejecting that argument, Azad pointed to protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and credited successive Indian governments with contributing to Jammu and Kashmir's development.

"Look at the situation in PoK, where people are protesting for their rights. Since 1947, successive central governments, from Nehru to Modi, have contributed to J&K's development irrespective of political affiliations," Azad said.

Imran Ansari criticises Abdullah

Former Jammu and Kashmir minister and Shia leader Imran Ansari also criticised Abdullah, urging Kashmiris not to follow his example.

"Just a humble and brotherly request to my fellow Kashmiris. Please do not emulate Farooq sahab. He and some select band are free to say anything," Ansari wrote on X.

Ansari accused the National Conference leadership of enjoying political freedoms that he claimed were not available to ordinary Kashmiris.

"Their so-called rebellion is a rented rebellion. This space is allowed only for a select few. Whatever they say is allowed. If a common Kashmiri speaks in a similar tone, the government will in seconds put that person in detention under PSA or UAPA," he said.

He also described the NC leadership as "rebels on rent".

The BJP on Saturday demanded police action against Abdullah, alleging that his remarks supported Pakistan's position on Kashmir.

BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur called the statement "seditious and anti-national" and demanded that the NC president be booked.

"Farooq Abdullah's pro-Pakistan statement is seditious and anti-national, and he should be booked for making such remarks. A leader who has taken an oath under the Indian Constitution cannot be allowed to question the country's intentions towards its own people while giving political legitimacy to Pakistan's narrative," Thakur said.

The BJP leader accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and contributing to decades of violence and targeted killings.

"Pakistan has given Kashmir nothing but terrorism, bloodshed, fear and uncertainty. Does Farooq Abdullah expect the people of Kashmir to forget this painful history and believe that Pakistan is their saviour?" he asked.