Srinagar: The politicians and political parties of Jammu and Kashmir cutting across the divide condemned the attack on Kashmiri Pandits in south Kashmir’s Shopain district on Tuesday.
Condemning the attack, former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti and former ministers Altaf Bukhari, Sajad Lone, Hakeem Yaseen, Javaid Mustafa Mir, NC leaders Ali Muhammad Sagar, Mustafa Kamal, and Nasir Aslam Wani, Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Raman Bhalla, Ravinder Sharma, and Ajay Sadhotra demanded exemplary punishment to the perpetrators.
A statement of NC issued here said that three-time chief minister, National Conference President, and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Farooq Abdullah and former chief minister and NC Vice President Omar Abdullah unequivocally condemned the attack on the Kashmiri Pandit brother duo in Shopian that resulted in the death of Sunil Kumar and critical injuries to his brother Pinto Kumar.
In his words of condemnation, Farooq said, “The terrible and dastardly attack has shocked me beyond words. I express sympathies and condolences to the bereaved, and pray for peace to the departed soul and speedy recovery to the injured. There is no place for such gruesome acts in any emancipated society. The attack also reveals the deteriorating security situation in Kashmir that is marked by the spur in targetted killings. Fear is everywhere and people are feeling insecure given the fresh spate of such targetted killings.”
In his message, Omar said, “Terribly sad news from south Kashmir today. A dastardly attack has left a trail of death and suffering. I condemn the attack in Shopian unequivocally in which Sunil Kumar was killed and Pinto Kumar injured. My condolences to the family,” he said.
Senior NC leaders Ali Muhammad Sagar, Mustafa Kamal, Nasir Aslam Wani, and others also condemned the attack unequivocally and demanded the administration to immediately provide security to all the vulnerable Kashmiri Pandit members residing in Kashmir.
The NC functionaries also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
A statement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) issued here said that former chief minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack saying, “Terribly sorry to hear about the targeted killing in Shopian. Condolences to the deceased family. The Government of India (GoI) continues to behave like an ostrich with its head buried deep under the sand. Every resident of J&K has become cannon fodder in Delhi’s quest for ‘manufactured normalcy.’”
Former minister and Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari expressed shock and grief over the attack in which a local Kashmiri Pandit was killed and his brother injured in Shopian.
A statement of the Apni Party issued here quoted Bukhari as saying, “I am shocked over the terror attack. Such brutal acts of violence cannot be acceptable to anyone. Our heads must roll in shame seeing these inhuman acts occurring here. My heart goes out to the parents and other relatives of the deceased. One can imagine the pain and agony that the victim’s family must be going through at this time. May Allah give them patience and strength to bear the pain of this irreparable loss.”
Bukhari urged the security agencies to nab the killers and bring them to justice and urged everyone to raise their voice against the killers of innocent people.
Former minister and Apni Party Vice president Javaid Mustafa Mir also condemned the killing of the Kashmiri Pandit in Shopian and the injury to his brother.
In a separate statement issued here, Mustafa termed the killing of Kashmiri Pandit a heinous crime and cowardly act.
“The perpetrators of the heinous crime must know that they cannot achieve anything by killing innocent people. Killings in any form are unacceptable, shameful, and deserve strong condemnation from every section of the society,” Mir said and expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
He said that the perpetrators should be brought to book.
Condemning the attack, former minister and People Conference (PC) Chairman Sajad Lone said, “Yet another dastardly attack by coward terrorists in Shopian. We strongly condemn this heinous act of violence. My condolences are with the family.”
Former minister and Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) Chairman Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen strongly condemned the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit and prayed for the early recovery of his injured brother.
A statement of PDF issued here quoted Yaseen as saying that the attack on the members of the minority community by unidentified gunmen in Shopian was against humanity.
He said that the perpetrators of the heinous act could not be well-wishers of Kashmiriyat and that violence in any form of its manifestation was condemnable.
Yaseen expressed his sympathies with the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul.
Condemning the attack, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Ghulam Ahmad Mir termed the killing a dastardly act and condemned the incident in the strongest terms.
JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla termed the situation in Kashmir worrisome saying that the continued killings were leading to an atmosphere of insecurity and a situation of migration of minorities and other vulnerable sections from Kashmir like the 1990s.
In a hurriedly convened meeting of Congress workers at JKPCC headquarters in Jammu, Bhalla hit out at the Centre and J&K administration for “their failure to check targetted killings and worsening situation in Kashmir”.
Former minister and senior National Conference leader Ajay Kumar Sadhotra also condemned the terror attack on two Kashmiri Pandit brothers.
“This is the most inhuman and barbaric act,” Sadhotra said. “No words are enough to express shock and grief over the demise of Sunil Kumar.”
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sheikh Khalid Jahangir said, “I am out of words to describe my pain. The terrorists with the backing of their masters across the border will never succeed to disrupt peace and socio-economic progress of J&K.”
Senior BJP leader and Vice Chairperson J&K Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB) Hina Shafi Bhat said, “I strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Shopian in which Sunil Kumar was killed and his brother Pinto Kumar injured. My condolences are with the family. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured.”