Kashmiri Pandit exodus did not take place under my rule, says Farooq Abdullah | Exclusive

In an exclusive interview with India Today, former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said that the Kashmiri Pandit exodus did not take place under his rule.

Amid the ongoing blame game over the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah stated that the tragedy did not occur under his rule.

"Exodus did not occur under my rule. I had resigned long before that," he said in an exclusive interview with India Today's Rajdeep Sardesai.

"If they [BJP] believe there is blood on my hands, I would like them to appoint a 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission' and investigate the case so that they can be certain that I am not to blame," he said.

"I did everything within my power. I took every action. What more could I do? I did not have the army that you have today. And there is still terrorism," said Farooq Abdullah.

Farooq Abdullah, who previously stated that he is ready to be hanged anywhere in the country if found responsible, stated, "I have not taken my words back. I'm not going to back down from what I've said."

The former chief minister claimed the film, The Kashmir Files, is "pure propaganda" that is being deliberately hyped by people with vested interests in order to polarise the nation. The Kashmir Files, which released earlier this month, is centred on the Kashmiri Pandit exodus and has triggered heated debates across the nation.