Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said he feared a Gaza-like fate for Kashmir if no talks are held with Pakistan to resolve the issues between the two countries, leaving the BJP and the right-wing ecosystem fuming.

The remarks have come amid an ongoing anti-militancy operation in Jammu’s Pir Panchal region. A militant ambush in Poonch last week killed four soldiers and injured three. The army is facing allegations of killing three civilians to avenge the soldiers’ deaths.

“If we don’t solve it (Kashmir) through dialogue, then forgive me for saying it, our fate will be the same as that of Gaza and Palestinians, where they are being bombed by Israel,” Farooq told reporters when asked to explain his stand on talks.

“God knows what will be our fate. May God have mercy on us.”

Farooq’s view is at odds with the BJP’s “all is well narrative” that claims Kashmir has found elusive peace after the 2019 scrapping of special status, and Kashmiris are enjoying the change.

Although Farooq, who heads the National Conference, did not elaborate, he perhaps meant that Kashmir was a fertile territory for bigger attacks by non-state actors backed by Pakistan.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has been using force to prevent pro-Palestinian protests. Friday prayers were allowed at Srinagar’s Jamia masjid last week after 10 weeks, as the government had anticipated a groundswell in support of Gazans.

In October, a joint security review meeting was held in Srinagar by top officials “to coordinate and strategise security in the Union Territory in the backdrop” of the ongoing Middle East crisis.

Farooq recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s stand on talks with Pakistan to pitch for a renewal of the dialogue process.

“(Atal Bihari) Vajpayee Ji had said you can change friends, not neighbours. If we stay in friendship with neighbours, both of us will progress. If we remain enemies, there won’t be any progress,” Farooq said.

The NC president said even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that war was not an option.

“You solve issues through dialogue. Where is the dialogue? Leave aside Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif is going to become their Prime Minister and he is crying out loud that we want talks. Why is it that we are not ready for talks?” he asked.

Many right-wing handles on X accused Farooq of being a Pakistan lover, some suggesting he should be deported to Pakistan.

BJP leader Vishnu Vardhan Reddy said Kashmir was booming after the abrogation of special status under Article 370 but “it seems Farooq Abdullah isn’t able to digest it”.

“He wants to chat with Pakistan about it. His deadlock has dragged on for 70 years. Why the obsession with talking to Pakistan, and for what? Our government has already made it clear: We talk to Pakistan only regarding POK,” Reddy posted on X.

Farooq said changing army officers following the killing of three civilians in Poonch won’t solve the issue. He was referring to the army’s decision to remove a brigadier and some other officers in Poonch.

“Peaceful citizens, eight of them, were taken away and three were beaten mercilessly and chilli powder was rubbed into their wounds. Three of them could not bear the torture and succumbed. Five others are in the hospital,” Farooq said.

“The brother of one of the victims is in the BSF. He has been serving in the BSF for the past 24 years. Now he says he has got brother’s death in return for his services to the nation.”

The NC leader asked “which India we are living in” if innocent people, who have “nothing to do with militancy”, are killed.

“Is this Mahatma Gandhi’s India where we can live in peace? The hatred has spread so much that Hindus and Muslims think they are enemies of each other,” he said.

The former chief minister dismissed the BJP claims that Article 370 abrogation would end militancy, pointing to contradictions in statements made by the home minister.

“Four years ago, the home minister made a speech in Chennai where he said Article 370 was responsible for terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. With its end, terrorism will finish in J&K and development is being done,” he said.

“Four years later, he made a speech in Parliament and said he had not said anything like that. This is how much they are lying. Terrorism has not ended, it is increasing. Trained people are coming in and they are not caught. Innocent people are being targeted,” Farooq added.