Talks needed to resolve Kashmir issue: Farooq

Union minister for new and renewable energy, Farooq Abdullah, today favoured talks between India and Pakistan, saying they could resolve the Kashmir issue, which was necessary to improve relations between the two nations.

“Talks between India and Pakistan will resolve the Kashmir issue,” Abdullah said at the launch of a ‘Vivanta by Taj’ hotel here. “The issue has to be resolved for improving the relations between them.”

On the killing of a panchayat candidate in Budgam district on Friday, Abdullah said while the incident was unfortunate, such incidents would not prevent the formation of grass-root level governance bodies.

‘Hoping for a peaceful summer’
J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah has expressed hope that peace would prevail in the Valley this summer, allowing the tourism sector to grow. Inaugurating ‘Vivanta by Taj’, the first hotel by the Taj group in the Valley, Omar said, “I hope the opening of this property brings with it peaceful times.” He appreciated the Taj group’s decision to invest in Kashmir despite three consecutive trouble-torn summers since 2008. The hotel sits atop a hillock overlooking the Dal Lake and Asia’s largest tulip garden.