Row as Farooq seeks talks with Pak on Kashmir, links it to Gaza

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference chief and Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said the Union territory may meet the same fate as Gaza if India does not hold peace talks with Pakistan, triggering a sharp reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which said there can be no dialogue till Islamabad "stops sending terrorists" to the region.

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Israeli shelling and operations in Gaza, triggered by the October 7 attacks by militant group Hamas in southern Israel, have killed more than 21,000 people. Some 1,200 people were killed in the terror attacks by Hamas.

Abdullah's remark came amid a spate of targeted killings by terrorists in J&K, which has sparked concerns over the security situation in the region.

Asked whether India should hold peace talks with Pakistan, Abdullah, a former chief minister, told reporters in Srinagar: "If we live in friendship with neighbours, we will both prosper, but if we live in enmity, then we cannot progress rapidly. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji has also said that war is not an option now and issues have to be resolved through dialogue. Where is that dialogue?"