Demands probe into Nowgam blast
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 21: National Conference leader and Member Parliament (MP) Agha Ruhullah today said that peace in Jammu and Kashmir can’t be achieved by disempowering and dividing the people of the region and demanded a probe into the Nowgam blast.
Speaking to reporters in Tral after offering condolences to the family of crime photographer Javid Mansoor Rather who was killed in the Nowgam explosion, the MP said: “Peace cannot be achieved by disempowering and dividing the people of J&K. The Centre must focus on democratic and political empowerment, rather than creating second-class citizens, if it wants to defeat terrorism.”
“People of all faiths, Hindus, Muslims, Kashmiris and non-Kashmiris, have sacrificed in this fight. A nation can defeat violence only by uniting its people, not by alienating them,” he said.
Calling the Nowgam incident a “result of negligence”, Ruhullah demanded a time-bound and impartial investigation into the blast. He alleged that those handling the situation forced unprofessional people to work with explosive material.
“People like a tailor and a Naib Tehsildar were made to handle explosives, which is not their responsibility. Those responsible for these lapses must be held accountable and punished,” he said.
The MP urged the government to provide full compensation to the families of the deceased and injured and to offer government jobs where necessary to help them rebuild their lives.
He said that Kashmiris “felt empowered before Article 370 was revoked and now feel disempowered”, warning that the growing sense of alienation among residents must be addressed if the fight against militancy is to succeed. “Alienation only helps terrorism. Empowerment helps peace,” he added.
Ruhullah said that the central government’s claim that abrogating Article 370 in 2019 would end militancy in J&K was “a lie and mere propaganda”, arguing that the recent attacks, including the Nowgam blast, prove that terrorism has “no connection” to the constitutional change.
The MP said the 2019 move was justified through “propaganda rather than democratic or constitutional principles”.
“Connecting Article 370 with terrorism was a lie. It was used to give legitimacy to an undemocratic and unconstitutional move. Violence existed before 2019 and it exists today,” he said.
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