Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday supported “decisive” fight against terrorism and its origin but cautioned against any misplaced action that alienates people who have voiced their concerns over innocent killings after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Abdullah’s remarks came amid a major crackdown on the terror ecosystem, including the blasting of nine residential houses belonging to active terrorists and their overground workers, and the questioning of hundreds of persons across Kashmir valley in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
In a post on X, Abdullah said, “After the Pahalgam terror attack, there must be a decisive fight against terrorism and its origin. The people of Kashmir have come out openly against terrorism and the murder of innocent people, they did this freely & spontaneously.
“It’s time to build on this support and avoid any misplaced action that alienates people. Punish the guilty, show them no mercy but don’t let innocent people become collateral damage.”
Mufti, Lone, Mirwaiz urge Centre to be cautious
With security agencies launching a massive operation against the “terror ecosystem”, various political leaders here have urged the Centre to be careful and avoid alienating innocent people while hunting down terrorists.
“The Indian government must tread with caution and carefully distinguish between terrorists and civilians following the recent Pahalgam attack. It must not alienate innocent people, especially those opposing terror,” People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said in a post on X.
The former chief minister alleged there were reports of “thousands being arrested and scores of houses of common Kashmiris being demolished along with those of militants”.
“I appeal to the government to direct the authorities to take care that innocent people are not made to bear the brunt as alienation aids terrorists’ goals of division and fear,” she added.
People’s Conference leader Sajad Gani Lone said those handling law and order should not do anything that can reverse the mindset that has changed after the Pahalgam attack. “The mass protests against the Pahalgam killings was a rare occurrence, a first of its kind in the last 78 years… This is a monumental shift, a milestone, but fragile at the same time.”
“I hope that those in charge of law and order do understand the significance of the shift and don’t do anything erroneously which impedes the shift or facilitates a return to the earlier mindset,” he wrote on X.
The former minister said there was a general feeling across the Valley that the whole family was being punished for the actions of one person. “We approached the court also and termed it a form of collective punishment, inspired by the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, where the British were convinced of criminality and attributed it to ancestry.”
“Using collectiveness to define criminality or terrorism is a curse and will never allow reconciliation and social introspection. I hope what has been achieved in the aftermath of the heinous carnage in Pahalgam, is understood by those at the helm. And these precious gains are not frittered away,” he added.
Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also asked the Centre not to punish innocent Kashmiris in its quest for justice for the victims of the terror attack.
“While the Kashmiris collectively condemn the heinous crime at Pahalgam, and it is imperative to bring its perpetrators to justice, indiscriminate arrests and videos of houses and neighbourhoods being demolished circulating on social media are disturbing and distressing.
“I urge the authorities that in seeking justice for the innocent victims do not punish innocent Kashmiri families,” he said on X.
Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party president Mohammad Altaf Bukhari also called on security agencies to adopt a balanced approach, ensuring that their actions against terrorists do not harm or alienate innocent civilians who have no connection with terrorists and their activities.
“The people of Kashmir are deeply pained and grieved by the heinous terror attack and the brutal killing of innocent tourists in Pahalgam. Never before have the people come out so unanimously and spontaneously to condemn and protest against the terrorists as they did after the Pahalgam massacre,” Bukhari wrote on his X handle.
Referring to recent actions by the security agencies, Bukhari further said, “It is imperative for the security agencies to take the strongest possible action against terrorists and their handlers. However, some recent actions have been not only disproportionate but also ineffective.”
“Efforts to eliminate terrorists and dismantle their networks must not harm innocent civilians or alienate those who have no connection to terrorist activities,” he added.
Following the Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to hunt down the killers “to the ends of the earth” as his government linked the dastardly attack to Pakistan.
Since then New Delhi has announced a raft of retaliatory steps, including the cancellation of visas and suspension of the 1960s Indus Waters Treaty, and Islamabad hitting back with a string of tit-for-tat measures, that included putting the 1972 Shimla Agreement in abeyance.
Pakistan has warned that if India actually goes through with diverting or blocking the Indus water flow, Islamabad would see it as an “act of war”.
