On one side we have nuclear powers China and Pakistan and on the other side we have India, says Lok Sabha Member from Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah

Lok Sabha Member from Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said being landlocked between India, Pakistan and China, independence is no option for the Valley.

Addressing a party meeting in Mandi area of Poonch district, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said: “Independence is no option. On one side we have nuclear powers China and Pakistan and on the other side we have India. We have no atom bombs, no army and no jets. How are we going to survive as an independent nation? But, this does not mean that we are slaves of India.”

The National Conference chief said India “must respect and honour the dignity of the people here otherwise the situation in Kashmir won’t change”.

He urged the Centre to win the hearts and minds of people as “nothing else will work even if you build roads of gold”.

Abdullah, while taking a dig at the neighbouring Pakistan, said guns were no solution to Kashmir problem. He added that Pakistan was not able to handle its own problems. “What will they do to us”?