Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and leader of the National Conference Farooq Abdullah on Friday said that Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir will remain in Pakistan, while Jammu and Kashmir is part of India. Abdullah told ANI that dialogue is the only solution to the problem, and not wars in which lives are lost. He said, “PoK is in Pakistan, and will remain. J&K is in India, and will remain. We need to understand this.”

Abdullah that India has fought three wars but has not been able to take back PoK. His views, which appear to endorse Pakistan’s take on the issue, was met with anger from other political leaders. The Times of India reported that Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh said that the 1994 Parliament Resolution clearly states that PoK is constitutionally a part of India. Abdullah also came out in defense of actor Aamir Khan's statements this week and said it was propaganda against him. Abdullah served as a Union minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government. Abdullah's son Omar said that his father had often expressed this opinion regarding PoK before.