Tarigami and Azad also condemn attacks
Jammu: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said the twin terror attacks in Kashmir reflects the failure of the government, claiming that it could be “deliberate” to frighten people ahead of the polling for the Lok Sabha polls.
Terrorists struck at two places in south Kashmir on Saturday night, killing Aijaz Sheikh, a former sarpanch affiliated with BJP, in Shopian and injuring a tourist couple from Rajasthan in Anantnag.
While north Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency will vote on May 20 in the fifth phase of the ongoing general elections, south Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri seat will go to polls in the sixth phase on May 25.
Mufti is among 20 candidates in the fray from Anantnag while 22 candidates including National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah will contest from Baramulla.
“The government should answer about the two incidents as it is beating the drums, claiming that the situation in J&K has improved and militancy is over. The attacks took place immediately after the two-day visit of the Home Minister (Amit Shah),” Mufti told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
She reached out to Kashmiri migrant Pandits in Jammu as part of her campaigning to garner support from them.
“While a sarpanch was killed in Shopian, another attack took place on tourists…We want to meet the victims in the hospital but we do not know where they have been shifted.
“The attacks reflect the negligence and the failure of the government and there is a possibility that the shortcoming was deliberate to frighten the people so that they do not vote in large numbers in the next two phases,” the former chief minister said.
She said investigation should happen in the incidents.
“The incidents are not only the failure of the government but also suit them (BJP) even if the violence graph goes up due to their negligence.
“They (BJP) are frightened by the huge turnout of the voters (on May 13) in Srinagar as they feel their proxy parties have lost and their candidates will lose their deposits as well. The same thing is going to happen in Baramulla and Anantnag,” she said.
Mufti said the BJP leaders are talking “nonsense in their election campaigns” and should not be taken seriously.
“They are talking about mangalsutra, division of assets of Hindus to benefit minorities, taking back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)…which of their announcements will you take seriously. They are talking nonsense during election time and need not be taken seriously,” she said.
The PDP chief appealed to Kashmiri Pandits to vote for her party in large numbers to ensure her win from Anantnag constituency.
“I know your problems and issues, and will try my best to address them. I am your neighbour and you should make me successful,” she said.
Senior CPI-M leader and former MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami condemned the terrorist strikes in south Kashmir’s Shopian and Anantnag in strong words, and said “violence is not a solution”.
He also expressed heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased Sarpanch and wished a complete recovery of the injured.
“Strongly condemning the militant attacks in Shopian and Anantnag areas, which left an ex Sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad dead and injured two tourists. Violence is not a solution, but rather perpetuates suffering and instability,” Tarigami in a post on X said.
“My heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased and I wish a complete recovery to the injured,” the post added.
Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) president Ghulam Nabi Azad also condemned the attack on the former Sarpanch in Shopian and said such acts of violence are against humanity and must be denounced by all.
He appealed to the government to take such occurrences seriously and take measures to stop such acts of violence forthwith.
“Strongly condemn the terror attack on former Sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh in Heerpora, Shopian. These acts of violence are against humanity and must be denounced by all. The government must take this seriously; this must stop,” Azad in a post on X said.
