National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday demanded an independent probe into the surge in encounters between the security forces and terrorists after formation of the Omar Abdullah-led government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Dr Abdullah’s demand has come amidst the rising incidents of terror attacks and encounters in J&K.
“I doubt why there wasn’t spurt in gunfights before the government formation. There should be an independent probe to find out who is doing it,” Dr Farooq said.
He said the terrorists trapped in the downtown Khanyar area must be arrested and not killed.
“They should be arrested and interrogated whether there is any agency that has assigned the task to destabilise Omar Abdullah’s government.”
On being asked if Pakistan was to be blamed every time for terrorist attacks in J&K including the recent Budgam terror attack, Dr Abdullah said: “There is no question of this, I would say that there should be an investigation into this. They should not be killed, they should be caught and asked who is behind them. We should check if there is an agency that is trying to destabilise Omar Abdullah’s government.”
He said that J&K had seen an improvement in stability prior to the government’s formation, with terrorism at a low level and local businesses thriving.
“Tourism is thriving, and people are doing their routine business. Terrorism was at its lowest ebb; that’s why I am demanding a probe,” he remarked.
Reacting to Dr Abdullah’s statement, BJP leader and former deputy CM Kavinder Gupta said, “A responsible person like him should not make such statements. Peace is maintained in Jammu and Kashmir due to the work of agencies.”
“No one said that Omar Abdullah’s government is being destabilized. Many times such attempts are made by external forces. It is because of the security forces that the policy of zero tolerance is being implemented. Dr Abdullah’s statement is absolutely wrong and he should not make such irresponsible assertions,” Gupta added.