A chance for India, Pak.: Farooq

By Mukund Padmanabhan and Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, OCT. 15. The international campaign against terrorism presents a large window of opportunity for both India and Pakistan to get rid of the scourge, said the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah.

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu, he said that it was an opportunity that should not be allowed to slip, and that India should use this to persuade the world that any form of terrorism should be stamped out.

Dr. Abdullah said that Pakistan would be forced to see reason and shut down militant camps on its soil. If it failed to do this, global pressure would be on that country just like it was on Afghanistan today.

There was information from intelligence sources that militants, mainly Afghans, were leaving the Kashmir valley after the outbreak of the war in Afghanistan. However, Dr. Abdullah maintained that infiltration from Pakistan continued as before.

Asked if he would continue to press the Centre to be on the hot pursuit of militants across the border, he said the situation was complex and therefore, the Government would ``lie low'' on the issue.

Maintaining that a dialogue with the Centre on the issue of autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir was on, Dr. Abdullah refused to spell out the details. ``It is a good thing that nobody knows anything about this.''

Details under 'National' section

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