National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Saturday called the killing of seven civilians by government forces in Pulwama a massacre.
“Terming the civilian killings as most brutal Omar Abdullah said it was a massacre orchestrated as a result of badly executed encounter,” reads a statement issued by NC.
Omar expressed grief over the killings and expressed condolences to the bereaved families. He prayed for peace to the departed souls and wished early recovery to the injured.
“Repeating his demand of exercising restraint and avoiding collateral damage by forces in such circumstances he said ‘it seems lessons have not been learned. When we start expecting situation to ease out, incidents like these put us back from where we started,’ ” the statement reads.
Party president Farooq Abdullah said Kashmir has been turned into a “theatre of death and destruction” and incidents like these “put a big question mark on the working of the government and security agencies”.
“I am deeply saddened over the killing of civilians in Pulwama. My heart goes out to families who have lost their loved ones in the incident. The incident must be probed thoroughly and those found guilty must be brought to book. I pray for peace to departed souls and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at party headquarters, NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar said that governor administration seemingly “has given a free hand to the forces to aim at civilians like sitting ducks”, the statement said.
“The incumbent governor administration has no respect for human rights and basic fundamental rights. Our party in unison condemns the killings in strongest terms, such acts reveal the disdain of incumbent governor administration for human rights,” he said.
Sagar said such unabated killing of civilians, if not stopped, will further deteriorate the already fragile situation in the state, the statement said.
“Our party core group has time and again implored on incumbent governor administration to stop civilian killings. But our pleas fell on deaf ears. We in fact took out a protest rally against these unabated killings but that too fell on deaf ears,” the statement said.
“If the administration doesn’t stop such unabated civilian killings we shall be obligated to carry out state-wide protests against the disdain with which civilians are being devoured,” the statement said.
Sagar said people of Kashmir are being used as fodder by the central BJP led dispensation to increase their electoral prospects in other parts of the country.
“Honorable governor’s vacillating statements on Kashmir add more confusion to the already grim situation in our state. Governor, who is busy politicking, has miserably failed to implement his assurances,” the statement reads.
Sagar, according to the statement, said Jammu and Kashmir is not a military colony.
“We too have rights and privileges to live a dignified life. The draconian law AFSPA which we want to be done away with has belittled the very dignity of human life. Even the recent assertions of former home minister P Chidambaram are reflective of how inhumane the law is. What aggravates the situation is the laidback and sadistic attitude of central government towards such civilian killings,” he said.
Party provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani, addressing the press conference, said that SOPs are not being adhered to during such operations.
“The civilian killings are not acceptable to us or for that matter to any sane voice throughout the country. We demand a time bound inquiry on the incident. Civilians and militants are being treated in the same manner. There ought to be some checks and balances to ensure that civilians aren’t killed. Had proper SOPs been adhered to such civilian killings might have been avoided,” the statement reads.