Srinagar: Claiming that surgical strikes have failed to “deter” terrorists, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has asked the Centre to explain its Pakistan policy to the nation after seven army personnel were killed by terrorists in Nagrota.
“So on a day on which 7 of our brave soldiers lost their lives to terrorist bullets the government must explain its Pakistan policy to nation,” Omar wrote on Twitter late last night after the Nagrota attack.
“It is also true that terrorists are no more deterred from attacking our armed forces today than they were prior to the ‘surgical strikes’!” he wrote.
Jammu region was rocked by two terror attacks yesterday in which 7 army personnel, including two Major-rank officers, were killed and eight other security men, including a BSF DIG, were injured, before six heavily-armed terrorists were eliminated in the separate fierce encounters.
Taking a dig at the BJP, the National Conference working president claimed Pakistan was no more isolated internationally now than it was six months ago.
“Regardless of what BJP spokespersons would have us believe, Pakistan is no more isolated internationally today than it was 6 months ago,” he said.
Apparently referring to the sharp criticism by the BJP of his father and former Union Minister Farooq Abdullah over his remarks in which he had made light of India’s claims over Pak-occupied-Kashmir, Omar said “it’s all very well to call people who question the govt (government) line ‘Friends of Pakistan’ but that’s a poor excuse for a cogent, thought out policy”.
He also expressed condolences to the families of the armymen killed in the attack. “Heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased officer & jawans. May their souls rest in peace.”
Earlier, addressing the convention of the party’s delegates from Srinagar district, Omar asked Mehbooba to accept “responsibility” for the killing of nearly a hundred civilians, saying she was majorly “responsible” for the present situation that has resulted in hundreds of young boys and girls losing complete or partial eyesight. “The same Mehbooba blamed (then chief minister) Ghulam Nabi Azad for the 2008 unrest and held me personally responsible for the 2010 agitation. By her own standards and logic, she is primarily responsible for the current situation in the Valley and should accept responsibility rather than deflecting it,” he said.
The NC working president said his party did not politicise the current unrest in Kashmir and did not seek the dismissal of the PDP-BJP government despite a complete breakdown of the law and order and governance apparatus in the state.
“Unlike PDP, we didn’t politicise the heart-rending and extremely grave situation in the Valley. When we (leaders of opposition parties in the state) went to Delhi, we didn’t go to Delhi to ask for the dismissal of this government but we sought the initiation of a political process to find a lasting solution to the Kashmir issue,” he said.
Omar said the Chief Minister’s refusal to take responsibility for what is happening in the Valley stems from her own “political hypocrisy” and also the creed of opportunism that PDP has made its trademark since its inception.
“The party of ‘healing touch’ has become the party of ‘blinding touch’ today as hundreds of young children have been robbed of their eyesight while Mehbooba insensitively regales about her obsession with gol-gappas on every single platform and occasion. “We have had more than our fair share of Queen Marie Antoinette moments since Mehbooba Ji has taken over and her act of brazenly blaming the killed for getting killed has added salt to the gaping wounds of those families that lost their young ones in this turmoil,” the NC leader said.
He said he remembers how the same Mehbooba delivered an “impassioned and dramatic” speech in front of the Central All Parties’ Delegation after the 2010 agitation and told the visiting delegates that children who had gone out to buy toffees and milk were shot at and killed.
“Her melodrama suited her as an opposition leader but sadly today there is no talk of AFSPA revocation, release of political prisoners or the resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan. All those promises have been bartered for power,” Omar said. He said the Chief Minister should introspect and realise that she has become a “tormentor” of her own people, before trying to “enact charades” of seeking CBMs from New Delhi.