Farooq asks Centre to engage Pak to stop ceasefire violations

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah today asked the Centre to engage Pakistan in a meaningful dialogue to end ceasefire violations, while he emphasised that people in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir were living under perpetual threat.
"Peace would remain a distant dream unless Pakistan Army is taken on board in peace process," Abdullah said while addressing a public meeting in Surankote, close to Line of Control, this morning, observing that the neighbouring country had multiple power centres.
He wondered whether any serious effort is being made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prevail upon Islamabad, as the ground situation on borders continued to be grim.

The people are suffering and the normal activity has come to a grinding halt in the border habitations, he said while referring to spurt in ceasefire violations in recent days.
He also criticised the state government for showing "insensitivity and callousness" while dealing with the situation in the forward areas.
"What a tragedy, the government has turned so callous that even the injured keep waiting for being shifted to hospitals," he alleged.
The former Union minister complimented border dwellers for facing the challenge with fortitude and said NC was with them at this hour of crisis.
"Border skirmishes were not going to solve problems, but instead these will further compound the situation and limit scope for peace in the region," he said.