Talks with Pak only if it punishes Mumbai attackers: Farooq Abdullah

Union minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah today said talks with Pakistan were a necessity for all-round development of Jammu and Kashmir, but insisted it has to bring perpetrators of Mumbai attacks to justice first.

"The dialogue is necessary, so that terror incidents stop and there is all-round development of the state," he said while receiving national goodwill award from a literary organisation here.

Regarding dialogue with terrorists, he said it cannot take place until they abjure violence and lay down arms.

"They will have to come to the mainstream first," Abdullah said.

Abdullah also criticised the way Shopian incident is being exploited by various political parties for political ends.

"The PDP has been unnecessarily raking up the issue, as it is only concerned about capturing power in the state," Abdullah said.