Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 15 (ANI): Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that India and Pakistan should work toward improving their relations.

His statment comes after an explosion inside the Nowgam Police Station late Friday night left nine personnel dead and 32 others injured and caused extensive damage to the nearby building.

Speaking to ANI, JKNC chief said, 'I hope no such thing (Operation Sindoor) will happen. Nothing came out of it (Operation Sindoor). Our 18 people died. Our borders were compromised. I hope both nations improve their relations. That is the only way. I want to repeat what Vajpayee Ji said, friends can be changed, but neighbours cannot.'

Earlier today, Abdullah called for a thorough and independent investigation into the Nowgam police station blast, saying that 'mistakes' in the initial handling of the explosive may have contributed to the tragedy that claimed nine lives and damaged multiple residential structures.

Speaking to ANI in Srinagar, the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister criticised the manner in which the explosive material was dealt with by local authorities, stressing that those with proper expertise should have been consulted beforehand.

'This is our mistake, those who understand this explosive better, we should have talked to them first about how to deal with it instead of trying to handle it ourselves, you saw the result, nine people lost their lives. So much damage was caused to the houses there,' he said.

Abdullah also linked the fallout of the Nowgam explosion to the atmosphere of suspicion that Kashmiri residents are currently facing across the country following the recent blast in Delhi.

'We haven't yet come out of the crisis in Delhi where fingers are being pointed at every Kashmiri. When will that day come when they will accept that we are Indians and we are not responsible for this, ask those who are responsible why these doctors had to take this path? What was the reason?' he remarked.

Calling for accountability, the JKNC chief argued that the circumstances leading to the blast, including the alleged involvement of individuals with medical backgrounds, demand a deeper probe.

'There is a need for a thorough investigation and study of this,' he said, urging authorities to establish responsibility and prevent similar incidents.

The Nowgam blast, which occurred during the handling of an explosive device inside the police station premises, is being probed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. (ANI)