People in Kashmir have only been used as vote bank: Farooq Abdullah

JAMMU: Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that people in the

Union Territory

have only been used as a vote bank.

"People in Kashmir have only been used as a vote bank, several promises were made but none fulfilled. Problems were created between

Kashmiri Pandits

and

Kashmiri Muslims

. Our enemies will benefit from the hatred spread between Hindus and Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir," Abdullah said at an event in Jammu.

Alleging a play of politics based on religion in the Union Territory, he said, "The country will not survive if we, the leaders, don't separate religion and politics from each other."

"Why don't they pass the Women's Rights Bill? They have 300 members in the Parliament but don't want women to rise and get the same status as men," the NC chief questioned.