Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, May 23: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Chowdhary today said that people living along the India-Pakistan border always suffer during wars, stressing that armed conflict is not a solution to any issue and peace should be the way forward.
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Speaking to the media after visiting a Government office in Srinagar, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “war is not the solution to anything. Whenever there is a war between India and Pakistan, the people living along the border always suffer. If we want to build and develop and brighten our future, then war is not the answer.”
Chowdhary, who hails from Nowshera – a border town near the Line of Control – said that during recent hostilities, areas like Uri and Poonch suffered immense destruction, with homes razed and lives lost. He noted that residents of these regions have repeatedly paid the price of hostilities. “Many people were martyred. Uri was destroyed. Millions of homes were damaged due to shelling,” he said.
The DyCM said that even people in urban areas such as Jammu now understand the horror of conflict due to recent drone threats. “This time, drones flew over cities. For the first time, people in urban areas understood what war means – what death feels like,” he said, highlighting that the Indian Air Defense System responded effectively.
Calling for collective responsibility, Chowdhary said, “We all have to make Jammu and Kashmir strong. We have to make India strong. This will only happen when we understand our responsibilities.”
Responding sharply to questions raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Deputy CM dismissed the party as a “sunken ship that has gone to the depths of the sea.” “They ask us what we are doing. I ask them, when you were in power for 10 years, with six years in your share, why did you ally with the BJP? What answers do you have for the breaking of Article 370, Article 35A, and the downgrading of J&K from a state to a Union Territory?” he said.
He alleged that the PDP still maintains a hidden alliance with the BJP and compared their Government unfavorably with the current one. “This Government is not the same as the PDP-BJP Government. The Omar Abdullah-led leadership is fighting a war – whether it is border tension or the fight for our people’s rights,” he.
He emphasized that the National Conference continues to fight for restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and special constitutional status. “We are still fighting a war – a political one – to regain the honor and respect of our people,” he said.
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