Farooq Abdullah bats for talks with Hurriyat Conference in Kashmir after J&K governor Satya Pal Malik says 'they are ready for talks'

In a shocking incident, PDP chief Farooq Abdullah said that the Jammu and Kashmir government should talk with the Hurriyat Conference in Kashmir after the J& K governor said that they are ready for talks.  

He said that if the governor had said that Hurriyat is ready for talks then talks should be there. "

"There should be talks with everyone and there should be talks with Pakistan too." 

("Governor saheb ne khud kha hai ki Hurriyat taiyar hai baatchit ke liye, to is par baat karni chahiye. Harek se baatchit honi chahiye aur Pakistan se bhi baat honi chahiye : Farooq Abdullah on question do you think there should be talk with Hurriyat.)

This comes after Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said on Saturday that the Hurriyat Conference was willing to enter into a dialogue with the government.

"The Hurriyat Conference was not willing to talk. Ram Vilas Paswan was standing at their door (in 2016), but they were not ready to talk, Malik said at a funtion here. Today, they are ready for talks and want to hold dialogue. There is a change in everyone."

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Malik said the situation in Kashmir had improved ever since he took over as the governor last August, adding that recruitment of militants had almost stopped and stone-pelting incidents on June 21 had ended.

"I feel good that the temperature (of the situation) has come down significantly since the day I arrived here," he said.

Earlier, Kashmiri Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was grilled by the NIA pertaining to the 2007 Hawala case. Mirwaiz arrived in New Delhi to appear before the NIA in connection with the Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case, one in 2007 and another one in 2017. Despite repeated summons by the investigating agency, Mirwaiz had expressed his inability to join the investigation in Delhi fearing for his security in view of "conditions of hostility" several times.

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Farooq Abdullah had stirred controversy more than once when he has spoken of talks with neighbouring Pakistan. During the election campaign for Lok Sabha 2019, he had accused PM  Narendra Modi of spreading falsehood and had said that this parliamentary election will decide whether Jammu and Kashmir will be "able to remain a part of the Union with dignity".

Addressing election meetings at Babademb in Khanyar and Kangan in Ganderbal, NC president had said:

"This election shall decide if the state of Jammu and Kashmir is able to remain a part of the Union with dignity. The people of state are directly fighting the BJP and their cronies here through ballot for the protection of their identity. This election will decide if we are able to live with our neighbouring country in peace. The general elections are also significant since it is a direct fight between falsehood and truth. However, no matter how much they try, falsehood is bound to perish," he added. 

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