Advani Failed India By Releasing Masood Azhar: Farooq Abdullah

Opening a Pandora's box years after the 1999 Kandhar hijack drama, Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has accused the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Home Minister L K Advani of compelling him to release Maulana Masood Azhar, the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist organization.

Speaking to Tehelka weekly in an interview, Farooq Abdullah whose party National Conference was an ally of the ruling NDA government said that he had unsuccessfully desired to resign in view of the compelling directives of Vajpayee and Advani instead of being seen as one of those responsible for promoting terrorism by releasing terrorists.

After his release from a Jammu jail, Azhar floated Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), one of the most deadly terror groups worldwide which has even been linked to the recent aborted plot in Britain to blow up 10 planes mid-air.

However, the NDA has maintained that the decision to release Azhar and three terrorists in exchange for the 167 hostages was that of the Cabinet collectively.