‘Avoid steps that will alienate people’
Won’t use opportunity to seek Statehood
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 28: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the public outrage against the killings of 26 civilians in Pahalgam terror attack has offered a glimmer of hope that terrorism may see its end soon with help of the people in Jammu and Kashmir and assured that the Government would work to strengthen people’s crusade against the menace.
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Addressing special session of the Legislative Assembly after debate on a resolution which strongly condemned the killing of 26 civilians at Baisaran in Pahalgam on April 22, Omar, however, appealed to the Central Government to avoid steps that will alienate the public in the aftermath of the terror attack.
“Public outrage all across Jammu and Kashmir where people hit the streets without any call to condemn the terror attack on civilians which wasn’t witnessed in last 21 years, has offered a glimmer of hope that terrorism may see its end soon with people’s help. The Government would work to strengthen people’s crusade against the menace of terrorism,” Omar said
Appealing to the Central Government to avoid steps that will alienate the public, the Chief Minister said militancy, terror or terrorism will end when people are with us and if we take proper steps, going by the people’s response against the terror attack, this can well be the beginning of the finishing of terror.
“We cannot control a terrorist with a gun but we can end terrorism if people are with us. I think that time has come when people are heading towards that stage,” he said and noted that Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid and other Mosques, for the first time, observed a two-minute silence for the terror victims before Friday prayers.
Noting that attack on civilians took place after a gap of 21 years, Omar said we thought such attacks were a story of the past but this has recreated a situation we hoped had been left behind. However, he said, even in the face of this inhuman and dastardly attack, a new ray of hope has emerged from Kashmir.
Referring to spontaneous protests everywhere with people hitting streets to strongly condemn the killing of tourists and local at Baisaran, Pahalgam, the Chief Minister said no political party had given a call but the people came out on their own.
“Outrage and grief were spontaneous. Candle marches were taken out. And, now is the time to encourage and strengthen this change and boost the spirit of unity, compassion and resilience that has emerged from among the people themselves,” he added.
Asserting that he failed in his responsibility of ensuring a safe return for tourists, the Chief Minister, who also holds charge of the Tourism Department, said as a CM and Tourism Minister he had invited these people to visit Jammu and Kashmir and it was his responsibility to ensure they were sent back safely to their homes.
“I have no words to apologize to those whose kin were killed in the attack. What could I have told a child whose father was stained with blood wounds, or to the woman who was just married? They were seeking answers as to what their mistake was, as they had come for the first time to enjoy holidays in Kashmir,” Omar said.
Maintaining that security in Jammu and Kashmir is not the responsibility of the elected Government, the Chief Minister, however, said he will not use this opportunity to seek Statehood.
“How can I push for Statehood or Business Rules using the Pahalgam terror attack?” he asked.
“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. This time there will be no politics on anything except condemnation of the terror act and expressing solidarity with the families who lost their kin,” the Chief Minister said.
“Curse be on me if I go to the Centre and push for Statehood at this moment,” he added.
Reading out the names of the slain civilians during his over 25-minute speech, the Chief Minister said this was not the first attack of its kind in J&K as many such incidents like the firing on Amarnath yatra camp, villages in Doda, Kashmiri Pandits and Sikh habitations have taken place in the past but the Baisaran incident against civilians took place after a gap of 21 years.
“We were of the opinion that such attacks have become history and these are no longer linked to our present or future,” he said, adding that unfortunately the Baisaran attack revived the past memory and a feeling that where might be the next attack.
Recalling his visit to the Police Control Room to pay homage to 26 victims earlier, Omar said “words could not express how I could seek forgiveness from the bereaved families. How do I console children who witnessed their father’s violent death, or a newlywed widow of a Navy officer?”
Omar recounted the heartbreaking questions from survivors, who asked “what was our fault?” Their first trip to Kashmir, intended for joy, had turned into a lifelong tragedy, he said.
He directly confronted the terror group, The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which claimed responsibility for the attack, citing alleged demographic change.
“Those who claim to act for our betterment…did we ask for this? Did we ask for 26 innocent people to be sent home in coffins? Did this attack have our consent?” he asked.
He said that the sentiment of every person in Jammu and Kashmir was a resounding “no”, emphasizing the deep and personal impact of the tragedy.
“We saw people coming out on their own from their homes, from Kathua to Kupwara, for the first time in 36 years to lodge their protest against the killings. There is hardly any place where the people have not condemned it and expressed in unequivocal terms that ‘not in our name'”, Omar said.
Paying tribute to Syed Adil Hussain Shah from Anantnag, who lost his life in the terror attack, Omar said “everyone valued his life, yet this young Kashmiri man sacrificed it to protect the tourists.”
“He could have fled without question, but instead, he faced danger head-on.”
Omar said that surviving tourists were sharing similar stories of courage and compassion like that of a pony handler who refused to leave a tourist behind, a Shikara wallah offering free rides, and taxi drivers and hoteliers providing free services and accommodation in Srinagar.
“I salute and thank them for this deeply ingrained hospitality,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the reason behind constituting a special Assembly session was that neither the Parliament nor any other Assembly of the country can understand the pain of the 26 families other than this Assembly.
“Speaker sahib, those people sitting around you have also lost someone or the other to terrorism. Our sisters (BJP’s) Shagun Parihar, (NC minister) Sakina Itoo, (Peoples Conference chairman) Sajad Gani Lone, (NC legislator) Qaysar Jamshaid…somebody lost his father or uncle. Sajad expressed the pain in the House of losing someone close in a way that nobody else will,” he said.
“How many of us were attacked…father of Rafiq Naik (of PDP) was attacked (on April 17, 2006). While the attacks are countless, the House also remembers the deadly attack on J&K Assembly complex in Srinagar on October 1, 2001 that left 40 people dead.
“That is the reason why I said neither Parliament nor any other Assembly can understand this pain as will the J&K Assembly,” Omar said. He also warned social media handlers spreading false news in the wake of the terror attack.
“While 90 per cent of people are upholding the truth, there are 10 per cent of those who are trying to spread falsehood on social media. I warn them to desist from this immediately as we will not tolerate the spread of falsehood,” Omar said.
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