Jammu, Jan 22 (IANS) Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and President of the ruling National Conference (NC) Farooq Abdullah said on Wednesday that the train to the Valley might be delayed by a few months and could start in April when the tourist season starts.

Union Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw said in December 2024 that the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project on which work was started in 1997 to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country, has been completed.

The railway authorities conducted several trial runs on various sections including the Katra-Srinagar track besides the statutory inspection by Commissioner of Railway Safety, Northern Circle, Dinesh Chand Deshwal in the past month, kindling hopes of early operationalisation of the service.

Asked about the criticism of the government functioning allegedly by a Congress leader, Abdullah said the government knows what to do.

“Government will function as it wants. Nobody can dictate terms to the government,” he said.

Responding to the PDP remark that the NC government has changed the goal post from Article 370 to statehood, Abdullah said the rival party needs to go for self-introspection before making any allegations against his party.

"Tell PDP that they are the ones who are responsible for the revocation of Article 370. We had told Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, PDP founder, not to join the BJP for government formation. He went ahead, despite repeated requests by us, Congress and other parties,” the NC president said.

Asked when the statehood was restored to Jammu and Kashmir, he quipped “When it is acceptable to the Almighty.”

On return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri pandits who completed 35 years in exile on January 19, Abdullah said the BJP ruled J&K over the past 10 years and the question should have been posed to them how many migrant families they have rehabilitated during this period.

He said the BJP has also promised 50,000 jobs to the unemployed youth, but nobody will ask them how many jobs they provided in the past 10 years, but will ask the National Conference which only came to power three months ago and has five years to fulfil all its promises including providing jobs to the youth.

He also questioned the silence of the media over the alleged misuse of the Central government by the BJP in the elections.

“I want to advise the media to remove hatred from their reporting and try to work to spread love. If we continue to spread hatred, we cannot save the country,” he said.

Asked about the involvement of a Bangladeshi national in the recent attack on Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan in Mumbai, Abdullah said he is against such things and wished him a speedy recovery.

“Maharashtra is a rich state where everybody wants to go to earn a living. How many people from our state are earning their livelihood in Mumbai? It is the financial capital of India. If somebody has attacked him, you cannot blame an entire nation for one man's action.

“You remember what had happened in Canada and America and they put the blame on India. How can you blame a nation for one person's action…(former Prime Minister) Indira Gandhi visioned SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) like the European Union with the aim that all countries in the neighbourhood work together for the betterment of their nations. We need a revival of it,” he asserted.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS

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