Jammu, Oct 9 : PDP leader Abdul Kabir courted controversy by calling Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani a “martyr” and questioned certain BJP leaders’ visit to the house of the slain militant and offering the family compensation.
Wani, once a poster boy of militancy in the valley, was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8, 2016, in the Kokernag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
“I did not specifically talk about the treatment given to Burhan Wani. What I meant was that when Burhan Wani was martyred or killed, our BJP leaders at the time went to his house and provided compensation to his family. What was the reason? You can understand that yourself,” Kabir told reporters here on the sidelines of a party function on Thursday.
Asked whether it was appropriate to call Burhan Wani, a militant, a martyr, Kabir said the terminology used to describe a person was a separate matter.
“It is our own saying. Whether we call someone a martyr, say they were killed, or use some other term is a separate matter. What is that? We have freedom. We live in a democratic country,” he said.
Asked whether calling Burhan Wani a martyr was his personal opinion, Kabir replied in the affirmative. “Yes, it is personal.”
