Bury past animosities, begin new era of friendship: Farooq

Aligarh Oct 17(PTI) Union minister for new and renewable
energy and the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr
Farooq Abdullah called upon Pakistan to "bury the past
animosities and begin a new era of friendship and peace with
India."

Addressing a gathering at Aligarh Muslim University
during Sir Syed Day celebrations Saturday, Abdullah said that
India, Pakistan and other South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) countries should learn from the European
Union countries, who fought two World Wars with each other in
the last century, "but had now come together on a single
platform and were forging a new unity for the common good
having forgotten the hatred of the past."

Striking an emotional chord, the former J&K CM said, "It
is my dream that one day all the citizens of SAARC countries
will move freely across their respective borders just as
people of different European countries, who have freedom to
travel all over Europe."

Abdullah said that the people of Pakistan should
understand that India would bear no grudge against them, if
Pakistan was prepared to seriously walk on the way of peace
and prosperity.

"I am fully aware that path to peace and progress in the
sub-continent is not going to be an easy task because the
forces of hatred and destruction would always make it
difficult, but the ideal of peace beckons us to do our best."
PTI