PM Modi is protecting every citizen: Farooq Abdullah

New Delhi, May 2 Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Friday expressed full faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve to ensure that the victims of the Pahalgam terror strike get justice and criticised the blame-game over an alleged intelligence failure that led to the attack.

Talking to IANS, Abdullah reiterated that the country is safe in the hands of PM Modi.

The veteran Kashmiri leader said there was no doubt about the country being safe in the hands of PM Modi.

"If the country wasn't safe in the hands of the PM, he wouldn't be the PM," he said.

Amid fears of a potential escalation between India and Pakistan, he said the ball is in PM Modi's court on the question of whether the country is ready for war.

"This will be the Prime Minister's final command. The PM has given full freedom to the three chiefs, Army, Navy, and Air Force. But the final command is in the PM's hand," he said.

The former J&K Chief Minister also favoured opening diplomatic channels for de-escalation. "Both sides should think about who suffers. There should be an attempt to open diplomatic channels," he said.

On the demand in some quarters for India to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, he said, "This is a decision to be taken by the country's Prime Minister. Farooq Abdullah cannot give him any advice. This must be the Prime Minister's call."

Amid the war-mongering and hate speeches on social media, Abdullah refused to be drawn into the debate of whose fault led to the Pahalgam terror attack.

"We are at a crucial juncture, and if we point out whose mistake it is, it won't be right. This is not the time to point fingers. This won't make India stronger," he said, suggesting that the question of fixing accountability for the April 22 terror attack can wait for now.

"Once the matter is settled and we catch them, then a commission should be set up to see whose mistake it was, and where the lapse happened. Now is not the time to blame anyone, now is the time to act," he said.

He also dismissed attempts to link the Pahalgam terror attack to the enactment of the Waqf Act by the Modi government.

"The Waqf Act is different, the Pahalgam incident is different. We cannot link both. The Waqf matter is in the Supreme Court. We hope the Supreme Court will look at this matter properly," he said.

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