J&K NC’s Farooq Abdullah’s ‘Terrorists Shouldn’t Be Killed’ Remark Sparks Row

Last Updated:November 02, 2024, 18:33 IST

Farooq Abdullah said that it must be found out whether some agency has been assigned the task of destabilising the Omar Abdullah-led J&K government.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Saturday called out for an independent investigation into the recent spurt in terror activities across the erstwhile state to find out if there’s any conspiracy to destabilise the newly-elected government.

He further triggered a row by suggesting that terrorists should be captured and not killed and be interrogated to uncover the masterminds behind the attack.

“It should be investigated. How is it that the government has come and this is happening? I have a doubt that is it done by the people who were trying to destabilise the government…If they (terrorists) are caught then we will get to know who is doing this. They should not be killed, they should be caught and asked who is behind them…We should check if there is an agency who is trying to destabilise Omar Abdullah,” news agency ANI quoted Farooq as saying.

He further said that it must be found out whether some agency has been assigned the task of destabilising the Omar Abdullah-led J&K government.

The NC president has also demanded that the terrorists in Khanyar encounter should be arrested alive and not killed to find out who is trying to destabilise the elected government.

On being asked if Pakistan should be blamed every time for terrorist attacks in J&K, including the recent Budgam terror attack, Farooq said, “There is no question of this, I would say that there should be an investigation into this.”

Sharad Pawar Defends Farooq

Meanwhile, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar defended Farooq Abdullah’s statement saying that the central government should take the latter’s statement seriously.

“Farooq Abdullah is the tallest personality of the Jammu and Kashmir…He spent his life serve the people of Jammu and Kashmir. I have no doubt about his integrity and honesty. If such a leader is making any statement then the central government, especially the home ministry, should take it seriously and try to work out on how that situation can be resolved,” Pawar said.

BJP Questions Farooq Abdullah

However, the BJP accused Abdullah of “blaming the Indian Army, Indian agencies to escape his responsibility”.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “It is very unfortunate that on such a sensitive issue, instead of giving priority to the nation, some people are giving priority to politics, family and vote bank. It does not befit Farooq Abdullah to blame the Indian Army, Indian agencies to escape his responsibility or to save the sponsors of terrorism”.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Ravinder Raina said that the army, police, and security forces should have our full support.

“Farooq Abdullah knows that this terrorism is coming from Pakistan… This is a well-known fact. What is there to investigate in this? He knows that the terrorist attacks that are taking place in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and terrorist organisations are involved in this… We all should support our army, police and security forces… We have to fight unitedly against those who are the enemies of humanity…,” Raina said.

Surge In Terror Attacks In J&K

The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a surge in terror attacks after the Omar Abdullah government took over the throne. National Conference had secured a decisive victory in the recently-held assembly elections. The party won 42 out of 90 seats, with ally Congress adding six seats, and Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Chief Minister.

A Pakistani terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was killed and four security personnel were injured in an encounter that broke out in the Khanyar area in Srinagar on Saturday. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the densely populated locality of Khanyar in the interior city following inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area, a police official said. The search operation turned into an encounter as the terrorists opened fire at the search party, which retaliated, the official said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the densely populated locality of Khanyar in the interior city following inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area, a police official said.

In another ongoing operation, two terrorists were gunned down by the security forces near Halkan Gali in the Shangus-Larnoo area in Anantnag district.

On October 29, the security forces neutralised three terrorists in a high-stakes encounter in Akhnoor, Jammu and Kashmir, following an attack on an Army convoy.

On October 24, terrorists ambushed a vehicle of the army at the Botapathri area of Gulmarg. Five people including three army soldiers and two civilian porters working for the army were killed in the Botapathri attack. People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), an offshoot of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) took responsibility for the Botapathri attack.

On October 20, two terrorists fired indiscriminately at a workers’ camp of an infrastructure company in the Gagangir area of the Ganderbal district. Seven people including six non-locals and a local doctor were killed in the Gagangir attack.

Intelligence agencies believed that after successful, people participative Lok Sabha and legislative assembly elections, handlers of terrorists across the border have become frustrated and they have now instructed the terrorists in J&K to carry out terrorist attacks, as reported by IANS.

(With inputs from agencies)

Location :

Srinagar, India