“We can only hope and pray that the war stops. The situation is bad. This should not have happened,” Abdullah told reporters in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal, his assembly constituency

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed hope on Saturday that Israel and Iran would soon cease their attacks and resolve their issues through dialogue, news agency PTI reported.

“We can only hope and pray that the war stops. The situation is bad. This should not have happened,” Abdullah told reporters in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal, his assembly constituency.Questioning the basis for Israel’s attack on Iran, he remarked, “A few days ago, the US intelligence in-charge said before the Senate and Congress that Iran is not closer to getting a nuclear weapon. So, if America felt that a few days ago, then why did Israel attack Iran?”

“It is obvious that there is some politics behind it, but we hope that this cycle stops sooner and the issues are resolved through dialogue,” he added, according to PTI.

Meanwhile, Abdullah visited several areas in his assembly constituency, stating it was his duty as the local MLA. “The people of Ganderbal have sent me to represent them and serve them, and I will try my best to meet their expectations. So, since I became the MLA, we have hastened the development progress here. Today, I inaugurated one project, a marriage hall, and laid the foundation stone of a bridge, which was an old demand,” he said.

The leader further noted that when he sought votes from the people of Ganderbal, he had assured them he would serve them as an MLA and address their concerns.

“I had told them I will not remain away for five years after taking their votes. Despite having the responsibility of the whole of J&K, I have never forgotten that the people of Ganderbal did me a huge favour by electing me from here, and that is why I did not leave this seat,” he said, as reported by PTI. Abdullah won the assembly polls from two seats: Ganderbal and Budgam. He subsequently vacated the Budgam seat after being sworn in as Chief Minister.

When questioned about the upcoming annual Amarnath Yatra, Abdullah expressed optimism that yatris would arrive in large numbers to visit the Amarnath cave shrine.

“We hope they return safely as well. The responsibility of their security lies with the LG and Raj Bhavan, and I hope all the measures will be taken for their safety and security. The rest of the responsibilities — be it medical or infrastructure –we have fulfilled those,” he added.