An anguished J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, paying tributes to CRPF jawans killed by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in Pampore on Saturday, said she couldn’t comprehend how such barbaric killings were carried out in the name of religion.
Eight paramilitary personnel were killed and 25 others injured in the attack, the worst in the last three years in the restive state.
“I am unable to understand how somebody can indulge in such shameful acts of bloodshed in the name of Islam, and that too in the holy month of Ramzan when people seek forgiveness and peace,” Mehbooba said at the wreath-laying function at the CRPF headquarters at Humhama here on Sunday.
The National Conference took immediate umbrage saying the same Mehbooba used to say terror has no religion. “Now, suddenly she sees terror as an offshoot of Islam for which Muslims should be ashamed,” NC spokesman Junab Azim Mattu said. “This is shameful coming from a chief minister.”
Home minister Rajnath Singh issued a stern warning to Islamabad for the Pampore attack. “We won’t fire first. But if Pakistan fires, then we won’t keep a count of our bullets,” Singh said at a function in Punjab.
“Perpetrators of such acts bring bad name to Jammu & Kashmir and also prevent people from visiting the Valley,” she said. “Many countries have issued advisories to their citizens against visiting J&K,” Mehbooba told reporters, underscoring how Pakistan-based terrorists are trying to cripple the state’s economic mainstay.
Mehbooba said, “Nothing can be achieved by this. We’re only defaming Kashmir and the state by these acts. We also deal a setback to the religion we practice, which is a religion of peace.”
Meanwhile, a policeman was killed in Pampore when a teargas shell he was carrying exploded in his hands triggering panic with people mistaking it for another attack. The incident took place in Drangbal barely 500 meters away from Saturday’s encounter site.
The dead policeman was identified as Merajuddin Chopan of Tral. Asked about the Lashkar attack, Pakistan high commissioner Absul Badit, speaking to a TV channel, took a standoffish line, “It’s the month of Ramzaan, let’s focus on this Iftaar party.
“The issue of Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed issue between India and Pakistan. We hope we will sit and discuss on the issue and find a solution,” the high commissioner reportedly told NDTV.
Addressing an ex-servicemen’s convention in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said the attack was an act of frustration and reiterated that the government would strongly deal with such cases.
“In the last one month, over 25 terrorists have been killed by security personnel in J&K. It is an act of frustration on their (terrorists’) part to show that they still hold power,” he said.
Ashamed of bloodshed in name of Islam during Ramzan: Chief Minister
