Former chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir Dr Farooq Abdullah said on Friday that Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) would remain a part of Pakistan, NDTV reported.
“AJK is in Pakistan and will remain, similarly Indian-held Kashmir will remain a part of India. We need to understand this,” he said, while addressing the media in Indian Kashmir.
He added that war is not the solution and only lives are lost as a result of it. “Dialogue is the only option,” he insisted.
According to reports, Abdullah’s statement provoked a strong reaction as union minister Jitender Singh, who said, “How can we forget that in 1994, there was a unanimous resolution passed in Parliament regarding how to deal with Pakistan’s claim on Kashmir?
“The position of the government has been very clear on this issue, there are no two ways about it,” Singh stated.
Further, India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker and former home secretary RK Singh denounced Abdullah’s statements, claiming, “This is a bogus statement, it is AJK which is illegally occupied by Pakistan.”