Pakistan has saved Kashmiris by keeping the issue alive at international forums, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday, sparking a row, with the BJP castigating the comment as "seditious and anti-national."
Abdullah said there is little hope for Kashmiris from the Centre.
"What hope will you (people of J-K) have from them (Delhi)? Will you expect that they will do justice for you?" the three-time chief minister said while addressing a party event in Baramulla district of north Kashmir.
He urged Kashmiris to have courage so that they can confront Delhi.
"If you don't keep it, you will be erased. Even our trace and identity will disappear. Nothing will be left. They are silent today because there is noise in the world, and our neighbour is constantly behind this. Everywhere they say, 'the decision regarding Kashmir has not been made'. That is what is saving us. Otherwise, their intentions are not good," he said.
Abdullah also alleged that Muslims are being oppressed in BJP-led states.
"Do you see how their mosques are being razed? Their homes are being bulldozed! Their shops are being demolished! Do you see it?" he said.
Abdullah asserted that the people of J-K never denied being Indian.
"We never said that we are not Indians. Time and time again, we affirmed that we acceded to India — to the India of Mahatma Gandhi, the India of Jawaharlal Nehru, the India of (Maulana Abul Kalam) Azad," he said.
"We never imagined that an era would come where Muslims and Hindus would be pitted against each other, purely for power -- just for this chair.
"India's fabric was destroyed; we never imagined this would happen. But this too shall end, God willing; its time will come," Abdullah added.
J-K BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur demanded police action against Abdullah.
"Farooq Abdullah's pro-Pakistan statement is seditious and anti-national, and he should be booked for making such remarks. A leader who has taken an oath under the Indian Constitution cannot be allowed to question the country's intentions towards its own people while giving political legitimacy to Pakistan's narrative," Thakur said in a statement.
He said if Abdullah loves Pakistan so much, he should go there.
"The people living in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are desperate for freedom from Pakistan's misrule and want to join India. He should understand the ground reality instead of glorifying Pakistan from here," he said.
The BJP spokesperson said Pakistan "inflicted immense suffering on Jammu and Kashmir" through its sponsorship of terrorism, sending the region into decades of violence and targeted killings.
"Pakistan has given Kashmir nothing but terrorism, bloodshed, fear and uncertainty … Does Farooq Abdullah expect the people of Kashmir to forget this painful history and believe that Pakistan is their saviour?" the BJP leader said.
Pakistan's attempts to raise the Kashmir issue internationally cannot erase its responsibility for the violence that has plagued the region, he said.
The BJP leader also alleged the National Conference leadership often fails to acknowledge the sacrifices made by security personnel and civilians in the fight against terrorism.
"Pakistan cannot be presented as the protector of Kashmiris when its policies have contributed to decades of suffering. The people of Jammu and Kashmir want peace and progress, not another round of political rhetoric that benefits Pakistan's propaganda machinery," Thakur added.