Kathua encounter: J&K deputy CM says conspiracies hatched from across border 'killing our children'

Jammu: Conspiracies hatched from across the border are "killing our children”, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said on Saturday, advising Pakistan to give up its "terrorism" as violence can achieve nothing.

Talking to reporters after the wreath laying ceremony of head constable Jagbir Singh in the lawns of police headquarters at Gulshan Ground here, Choudhary said he hopes that good sense prevails in Pakistan so that the three-decade-long militancy ends.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah led the wreath laying ceremony of the fallen policeman which was among others attended by the family members of the deceased, Director General of Police, Inspector General of police, Jammu zone, Bhim Sen Tuti and officers from civil, police, Army and CRPF.

Abdullah, Choudhary and DGP were also seen expressing their condolences to the bereaved family.

Singh and three other cops lost their lives in a two-day long encounter with terrorists in Safiyan forest in Kathua district. Two terrorists, believed to be affiliated with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), were also killed in the operation which was still continuing.

The deputy chief minister said, "Both central or J&K governments will never want our children to be martyred. Our children are being martyred because of conspiracies hatched from across the border but they (Pakistanis) should understand that they have been killing our children for the last over 30 years and achieved nothing." Choudhary said the country which is sponsoring terrorism in J&K has destroyed itself and “we hope that good sense will prevail upon them and the sponsored militancy is put to an end. They should understand that J&K and India are not going to become weak by terrorism.” Paying tributes to the fallen policemen, he said their sacrifice has plunged the whole of J&K into grief even as they belonged to different communities - one is a Muslim and three Hindus.

“Our brotherhood is strong and nobody can break it whatever the efforts,” the deputy chief minister said.