Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that the Pahalgam terrorist attack has shaken the entire country, but he would not use this occasion to press for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood.
Omar was speaking in the special session of the J&K Assembly here to condemn the targeted terrorist attack. The resolution of condemnation was moved by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary during the special session, which began with the members observing a two-minute silence to pay homage to those killed in the tragedy.
Referring to some members of the House who demanded restoration of statehood to defeat terrorism, Omar said “The security in Jammu and Kashmir is not in the hands of the UT’s elected government. But I will not use this occasion to seek statehood. How can I push for statehood now? I do not believe in cheap politics”, Omar said, winding up the discussion on a resolution unanimously passed on the Pahalgam terror attack in the legislative assembly.
“We have talked about statehood (with the Central government) in the past and we will continue to talk about it in future, but not right now”. “Curse be on me if I go to the Centre and push for statehood at this moment,” he said.
“From Arunachal to Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, the entire country has been affected by this attack. We have witnessed several attacks. We have seen attacks on the Amarnath Yatra camp, attacks in several villages of Doda. We have seen attacks on the villages of Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs. However, this attack in Baisaran on civilians has happened after 21 years. We were thinking that these attacks were now part of our past”.
Omar said his government would strengthen the people’s crusade against terrorism, which can be defeated only with the support of the public.
He cautioned that the government should avoid any step that will alienate the people of Kashmir. “Terrorism will finish only when people are with us. Given people’s outrage against the terror, this is the beginning of its finishing if we take proper steps”. “We should not take any step that will alienate people”.
Referring to the unprecedented and spontaneous protests across Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid for the first time observed a two-minute silence before Friday prayers. “We can understand its meaning. We will try to strengthen this change”, the Chief Minister said.
“No Parliament or any state assembly can understand the pain of the loss of 26 people in the Pahalgam carnage more than the J&K Assembly”.
He also warned social media handlers of spreading fake news in the wake of the terror attack. “I warn them to desist from this immediately, as we will not tolerate the spread of falsehood”, Omar said.
GA Mir (Congress) said that the spot where the attack happened was considered one of the safest tourist places in J&K. The attack was a major security lapse, and those responsible owe an explanation.
He said that the BJP government at the Centre had been claiming the elimination of terrorism after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, but now they should explain how this unfortunate attack happened.
Mir also said that after the attacks in Pulwama, Pathankot and Uri, the government had claimed that the security had been strengthened. If that was a reality, then how did the terrorists manage to reach Baisaran to kill 26 tourists? He stressed that we should not let ourselves be driven by the Hindu-Muslim agenda of terrorists.
Sajad Lone (Peoples Conference) said it was for the first time in the past 78 years that people across J&K have come out in large numbers against the terrorist attack. The aim of terrorists was to divide the society, but people refused to accept their agenda.
Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, CPI(M), stressed that those responsible for the security lapse should have been summoned to the Assembly to give an explanation.
He said that the Centre and other authorities have been announcing that the terror ecosystem has been smashed, but it was unfortunate that houses were being demolished after the Pahalgam attack.
Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA, Sunil Sharma, said that the massacre has united the people of the entire J&K. People should have trust in PM Narendra Modi who will appropriately react and not sit quietly.