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New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday issued a strong plea against the growing suspicion cast upon the Kashmiris following a recent blast in Delhi. Abdullah lamented that "attempts are being made to create an environment as if all the people from the Union territory were guilty."
His remarks came in the wake of the identification of a Pulwama resident as the prime suspect in the Delhi attack, leading to widespread apprehension and a feeling of being unfairly targeted.
"In the current circumstances, parents will not like to send their children outside," Abdullah said at an event in Kulgam, articulating the deep-seated fear and stigma faced by Kashmiris.
"When we are looked at with suspicious eyes from every side, when attempts are made to defame us for someone else's doing, when attempts are made to bring everyone into the ambit of what few people have done, then it is obvious that it becomes difficult for us to leave for outside," Abdullah said.
JK CM further confessed to his own hesitation in driving a Jammu and Kashmir-registered vehicle in the national capital, highlighting the palpable sense of being viewed as a potential threat. "I myself think whether I should take out my car or not, as I do not know if anyone will stop me and ask me where I was from and why I had come there,” he said.
The Chief Minister's frustration was evident as he addressed reporters, directly challenging the notion that revoking Jammu and Kashmir's special status in 2019 would bring an end to violence. "We want this cycle (of violence) to stop," he declared, his voice laced with weariness.
"Jammu and Kashmir, especially Kashmir, has witnessed so much bloodshed in the last 30-35 years. We were told that this will not happen now, and this cycle will end after 2019. But, it has not," he told reporters. He emphasised that even without incidents in Delhi, violence continues to claim innocent lives within the Union territory, underscoring the persistent security challenges.
Abdullah's comments followed the identification of Dr Umar Un Nabi, a 28-year-old assistant professor from Pulwama, as the suspected "suicide bomber" in the Delhi incident. Two other individuals, Dr Muzzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Shahid, arrested with arms and explosives, also reportedly have connections to Jammu and Kashmir. The Chief Minister pointed out that such isolated acts by a few are unfairly tainting the entire population, creating an environment where Kashmiris feel increasingly marginalised and mistrusted.
Expressing solidarity with the victims of terrorism, Abdullah shared that he had visited five families on Tuesday who lost loved ones in the recent Nowgam blast, with plans to visit two more. The Chief Minister reiterated the urgent need for accountability among security agencies responsible for maintaining peace, suggesting that the continued violence contradicts the promises made after the constitutional changes of 2019.
