Omar Abdullah's remark about war-mongering 'accurate reflection': NC

Growing hostility on the LoC and the International was being furthered for political dividends and the costs were being borne by the people of J&K, says Junaid Azim Mattu

Reacting to the BJP's criticism of Omar Abdullah's statement condemning provocative posturing leading to hostility between India and Pakistan, National Conference (NC) on Friday said its working president's remarks were an "accurate reflection" on how jingoism had brought the two countries to the brink of an all-out war.

"Growing hostility on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) was being furthered for political dividends and the costs were being borne by the people of Jammu and Kashmir," NC's state spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu said here.

He said it was imperative that Union ministers speak with restraint and responsibility and understand the costs of aggression and war-mongering, especially for the people of the state.

"One-liners and chest-thumping defies the basic interests of the people of the entire region and while war-mongering might serve political dividends for certain political parties in the short term, the long-term implications are adverse and would affect the pursuit of peace and prosperity," the NC spokesperson said.

Mattu lauded Omar's assertions and said opposing war-mongering was the need of the hour and the party did not require any certificates from BJP or its leaders who are invested in using hostility and chaos as political tactics.

"Sitting in TV studios and giving platitudes about 'befitting replies' and military pro-activeness is not a virtue of the statesman and amounts to little beyond shadow-boxing in the name of nationalism.

"War-mongering is a trait of those who want to hide under the fig-leaf of patriotism to escape accountability and responsibility and it's about time they are exposed and held to account for the martyrdom of soldiers and civilians who bear the costs of their satellite chest-thumping," he said.

Mattu said both New Delhi and Islamabad should resume the comprehensive dialogue process without any further delay and address the outstanding issue of Kashmir so that peace in the region can be sustainable and permanent.

"The people of J & K have been the worst victims of aggression and hostility between India and Pakistan and hence are the primary stakeholders in peace. There should be an immediate restoration of talks on the external front and New Delhi should also talk to stakeholders in J & K. There can be no alternative to dialogue," the NC spokesperson said.

Omar yesterday drew sharp criticism from BJP after he said the spurt in militant attacks in the state was a result of provocative statements by Union ministers after surgical strikes were conducted along the LoC.