Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Saturday welcomed the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, saying it was better late than never.
“I welcome from the depths of my heart the announcement made by the Government of India spokesperson about the restoration of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan,” Abdullah told reporters at his residence.
“Better late than never, but had this ceasefire come two or three days earlier, perhaps the bloodshed we saw and the precious lives we lost would have been safe,” he added.
Abdullah said the DGMO of Pakistan called his Indian counterpart and they agreed to establish ceasefire again in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere.
“It is now the duty of J-K government to provide relief and compensation to those who have suffered during this period. We have announced compensation for the loss of precious lives. Now we will have to compensate those who have been injured as well,” he added.
The chief minister said there has been a lot of devastation caused by cross-border shelling and attacks in Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, Tangdhar and other border areas.
“Now we also hope that we can resume the Hajj flights as we were not able to send the pilgrims to the Hajj due to the closure of the airport,” he said.
PTI
