Azad and BJP condemn Farooq Abdullah's claim that Pakistan is Kashmir's saviour

UPDATE - follow-up to Ghulam Nabi Azad, Altaf Thakur flay Farooq Abdullah's remarks on Pakistan as 'Kashmir's saviour': DPAP president Ghulam Nabi Azad and BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur on October 25, 2026 condemned National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah for calling Pakistan a saviour of Kashmir. Thakur labeled Abdullah's comments "seditious and anti‑national" and urged authorities to book him. He said a leader sworn to the Indian Constitution must not question India's intentions while giving legitimacy to Pakistan's narrative. Thakur warned that Pakistan has caused terrorism, bloodshed and fear in the region, citing families who lost loved ones and youth drawn to violence. Azad echoed the criticism, calling Pakistan a destroyer, not a protector, and recalled that successive central governments since 1947 have worked for Jammu and Kashmir's development. He recalled killings by Pakistani militants, the exodus of Pandits, and protests in Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir against Pakistani rule. Abdullah, speaking at a party workers’ meeting in Baramulla district, warned that people must stand up to Delhi or risk being erased, and claimed Pakistan protects Kashmir and its intentions are good. Union Minister Giriraj Singh also attacked Abdullah, calling him and his father enemies of India and blaming Congress for past sins. He said the abrogation of Article 370 has brought jobs and tourism to the valley. ## Context The controversy highlights ongoing political tensions over Kashmir's status and the sensitivity of any praise for Pakistan in Indian political discourse.