JOIN USJ&K politicians anguished over civilian deaths
Political leaders in Kashmir on Sunday expressed deep anguish over the death of seven civilians in a blast that occurred at an encounter site in southern Kulgam district after a gunfight between security forces and militants, in which three ultras of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit were killed.
Mehbooba Mufti, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister, expressing profound grief and shock over the deaths, appealed Governor S P Malik to ensure that all standard operating procedures (SOPs) are strictly adhered to while dealing with the security situations.
The PDP chief said that she was extremely saddened by the news of the Kulgam incident, where civilians were once again caught in the cross fire of violence, thus adding fuel to the already volatile situation.
National Conference (NC) president and MP Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah expressed shock and deep anguish over the civilian deaths.
“It is heart rending to learn about such incidents which have become norm of the day. The situation calls for immediate de-escalation from all sides,” Farooq Abdullah said.
Omar took to Twitter, saying, "Terrible news coming out from Kulgam. May the deceased find place in Jannat (heaven). Alienating the people in the fight against militancy is a sure fire recipe for losing the fight. How long can we go on ignoring the ground realities & (and) living in denial about how bad things are in Kashmir (sic)?”
State Congress vice-president Ghulam Nabi Monga while lamenting the civilian deaths, blamed the Centre's “wrong policies” towards Kashmir for the incident.
“Two days back, a lady was killed in Pulwama district in similar circumstances. It is the arrogance of the BJP government at the Centre, which is the root cause for such killings,” he said in a statement.
The woman was killed on Friday night in the cross-firing between militants and security forces as the ultras attacked an Army camp in Pulwama district, police said.
CPM leader and Kulgam MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said that it is really painful to see such killings happening everyday in Kashmir.
“But unfortunately, New Delhi is watching all this like a mute spectator and seems in no mood to address the issues politically. There is a deep sense of alienation among Kashmiris, especially youth. It is this deepening alienation and anger which is driving young and old towards the deadly encounter sites,” he said in a statement.
He said given the rising toll of casualties and no visible efforts by New Delhi to hold meaningful dialogue, there is apprehension that the situation may get more complex.