Srinagar: Responding to Mehbooba Mufti’s recent remarks on the Halal-Haram debate, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Saturday urged her to focus on preserving the country rather than engaging in blame games, stating that pointing fingers will achieve nothing.
Speaking to reporters, Abdullah said that good relations between Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians are essential for the country.
He said that India is a place of many religions and languages, from Tamil Nadu to Kashmir, and this diversity must be protected.
On Kashmir’s tradition of protecting all religions, Farooq said that the same spirit should guide the entire country. He further expressed optimism that the challenging times would pass and better days would come.
He also slammed the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for scrapping the two-hour namaz break in Assembly on Fridays.
“India is known for unity in diversity and governments must protect every religion,” the NC Patron told media persons after paying obeisance at the shrine of Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom in the old city area of Srinagar atop the Hari Parbat hillock.
On Friday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state Assembly would discontinue the two-hour break provided on Fridays to facilitate Muslim legislators to offer Namaz.
“The rule will be implemented from the next session,” the Assam Chief Minister said.
Farooq Abdullah said India has every religion and every language be it Tamil Nadu, Kashmir, Bengal or Maharashtra.
“Every state has a different culture and that is why India is a federal structure. We have to protect every religion,” the senior Abdullah said.
He added nothing is permanent and everything changes with time. “Good things will prevail again. We will tell them, let our government come, not to indulge in such activities,” he added.
He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir must also respect and protect the people of every religion.
“We have to take care of people from every religion. When our approach towards them is good then it will be good across the country,” he said.
He also congratulated the former members of the banned Jamaat for contesting the Assembly elections.
Pointing fingers futile: Dr Farooq to Mehbooba
