Jammu, Feb 08: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Thursday criticised the government over its ”failure” on the security front, saying that the recent targeted killings in the heart of Srinagar highlight the ”bad situation”, contrary to the government’s claims of normalcy. Abdullah condemned the terror attack and extended condolences to the families of the two non-local individuals killed by terrorists on Wednesday.
In the first targeted killing of the year, terrorists on Wednesday shot dead two workers from Punjab, including a Sikh in Srinagar. Amritpal Singh, a resident of Amritsar, was shot by the terrorists from the point-blank range in the Shalla Kadal locality and died on the spot, while Rohit, aged 25, who was injured in the firing, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.
”If they claim about a double-engine government and despite such claims, if terror attacks continue in Srinagar, it is their failure (on the security front),” Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Jammu. He held the government responsible for the current security situation in the Union Territory and said, ”Jammu and Kashmir is directly controlled from New Delhi. The budget is passed from there, and the LG sahib (Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha) also receives directions from there.”
Expressing condolences for the victims’ families, he said, ”We deeply regret that two guests from outside have fallen victim to bullets. One died yesterday, and another succumbed to his injuries in the hospital today. We extend our sympathies to their families. This attack deserves strong condemnation.”
Abdullah took a dig at the government saying that such attacks have been occurring in Srinagar for the past few years. ”The targeted killings in the heart of the city indicate that the situation is bad contrary to the government’s claims (of normalcy),” he remarked.
Criticising the government’s assertions of normalcy, he said, ”They had claimed that guns would fall silent once Article 370 is removed. However, we are witnessing a chain of terror attacks and incidents in Srinagar, Rajouri, and Poonch, where such occurrences were absent in the past.”
Responding to a question about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks about achieving 400 plus seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the former chief minister said that first, they should address the safety and security of people’s lives instead of focusing on these ‘400 plus’ remarks.
”The prime minister can talk about ‘400 plus’ later, but they must clarify to the country why the security situation is bad in Jammu and Kashmir. They always repeat that militancy is on its last leg, about to finish. Yet, these attacks occur, and then they go silent.”
