Farooq Abdullah turns 83: Look at 5 controversial statements made by veteran politician

Farooq Abdullah, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the chief of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, turns 83 on Wednesday. Abdullah was incarcerated after the government booked him under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and lodged him in his own house on Gupkar Road, which was designated as a sub-jail. The move was made in the wake of the Centre’s decision to scrap J&K’s semi-autonomous status on August 5 in 2019. He was released by the Jammu and Kashmir administration on March 13 this year after seven months in detention.

In his long political career, Farooq Abdullah has courted several controversies with his comments on Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, among others.

Let us take a look at five such controversial statements made by the veteran politician in recent times:

November 2017: Farooq Abdullah raked up a controversy when he said that PoK belongs to Pakistan and it won't change even if the two countries fight wars against each other.

"I tell them in plain terms -- not only the people of India, but also to the world -- that the part (of Jammu and Kashmir) which is with Pakistan (PoK), belongs to Pakistan and this side to India. This won't change. Let them fight how many wars they want to. Both sides need to talk about the situation so that we live in peace," Mr Abdullah had said.

January 2018: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said that India was equally responsible for the tragedies in Pakistan. 

 “Our neighbour has its own hates. They think we have divided Pakistan by taking Bangladesh. We were not dividers. The tragedy was in the country itself. It was not our creation. That is the tragedy we still face. And don’t say we are not involved in their tragedy. As much as they are involved in our tragedy, we are also involved in their tragedies. It’s not one-sided,” he had said.

Recalling a statement by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he called upon the current Indian leadership to build a bridge between India and Pakistan.

“I still remember Vajpayee’s word that he made at the border in Pakistan. He said friends can be changed, neighbours cannot be changed. You can either live in peace and progress with neighbours or live in enmity and harm each other which will not be of any good. I would like to say the same thing to present Prime Minister, let us build bridges,” he added.

November 2018: Ex-Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah again landed himself in controversy after he made another debatable statement. “You have made one Pakistan, how many Pakistans will you make, how many pieces will you cut India into?” said Farooq Abdullah. The ex-CM, while speaking at a gathering re-asserted his statement made on November 11 stating, "Yes, I say it (PoK) belongs to them (Pakistan).’ He further went on to say about Pakistan that ‘they are not wearing bangles’. He questioned the nation asking if the people wanted to be killed ‘by them (Pakistan).’

September 2020:  Farooq Abdullah claimed Kashmiris would rather be ruled by the Chinese than the Indian government. He claimed Kashmiris "don't feel like Indians" at the moment, see themselves as "slaves" and "second class citizens."

October 2020: A controversy erupted after Abdullah in an interview claimed that the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 had spawned tensions between India and China, sparking off a months-long bitter standoff in Ladakh. Abdullah said China has never accepted India’s decision to end Jammu and Kashmir’s semi autonomous status and split it into Union Territories. “Whatever they [China] are doing at LAC in Ladakh [is] all because of the abrogation of Article 370, which they never accepted,” the channel had quoted Abdullah as saying. “I am hopeful that with their support, Article 370 will be restored in J&K.”