Farooq Abdullah welcomes ceasefire between Iran and Israel, calls it ‘good step’

Srinagar, Jun 24: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah Tuesday welcomed the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, saying it was a good step, and expressed hope that it lasts so that innocent people do not get killed.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that the ceasefire should come into effect at the earliest as the war had caused “large-scale destruction”.
Talking to the reporters at Dooru in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Farooq Abdullah said, “I am thankful to the Almighty if there is indeed a ceasefire. It is a good thing. Innocent people were being killed. I pray that the ceasefire lasts.”
Responding to a question about whether the US surrendered before Iran, the NC chief said the decision stemmed from humanity, but there was global pressure on the US.
“Nobody has surrendered before anyone, neither Iran nor America. But out of humanity, they said that this should be stopped. This would have impacted their economy, and the economy of the rest of the world,” he said, adding, “There was global pressure on America to end this”.
When asked about the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra, which begins July 3, Abdullah expressed hope the pilgrims will return safely after visiting the holy cave shrine.
“We hope that pilgrims return to their homes after having ‘darshan’ of Bholenath happily, and then tell people back home how good the people (here) are and about the beauty that the Almighty has blessed this place with,” the former chief minister of the erstwhile state said.
Talking about the evacuation of the Indian students, the chief minister said that the war was a major concern in the Union territory as many students were stuck in the middle of the war.
“There were difficulties as flights could not operate due to the closure of the airspace. We hope that a big batch of our students will return tonight and our evacuation process will be completed,” he said.
“We would want a ceasefire as early as possible. It has been 11 days (since war broke out) and there has been massive destruction in these days,” he added.