Better for J&K if Indo-Pak relations improve: Farooq Abdullah

Jammu, Mar 6 (PTI) National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said an improvement in the India-Pakistan ties would be better for Jammu and Kashmir.

Abdullah criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh for changing names of places and said this would not erase the Mughal history.

“If relations between the two countries improve, it is a good thing for us,” he told reporters outside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was replying to a question on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Speaking at a session at the Chatham House think tank in London on Wednesday, Jaishankar said the Kashmir dispute would be solved after the “return of the stolen part” that is under “illegal Pakistani occupation”, prompting the neighbouring country to reject his remarks as “baseless”.

Asked about Aurangzeb, Abdullah alleged that the BJP government is trying to erase the Mughal legacy, but history cannot be altered.

“They cannot change history…. They want to erase the legacy of the Mughals,” he said, adding, “The Mughals ruled here for hundreds of years and are also buried here.”

The BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government has renamed several places, arguing that it is a step towards restoring India’s cultural heritage. However, opposition leaders claim that it is an attempt to rewrite history for political gains.