Srinagar: Paying tributes to the CRPF jawans killed in the Pampore attack, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said those who carried out the attack were “bringing a bad name to Kashmir and Islam,” a statement for which she was criticised by the opposition National Conference.
The Chief Minister laid floral wreaths on the coffins of the eight CRPF personnel killed in the militant attack on their convoy at Pampore on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway yesterday.
She said targeting security forces personnel who were only doing their duty was "condemnable".
"This is a fasting month when people should be seeking forgiveness and expiation for past sins. This is the time when we should be making sure not to hurt others. This kind of attack where you are affecting families by snatching their bread earner is condemnable.
"Nothing can be achieved by this.... We are only defaming Kashmir and the state by these acts. We also deal a set back to the religion we practice," Mehbooba told reporters.
In this month (Ramadan), such an attack, where you snatch somebody’s son, somebody’s father, it is highly condemnable,” she said. “There is no outcome of this (violence). Instead Kashmir gets a bad name, and also the religion in whose name it is being done.
Tourists had started to come to the Valley. That (tourism) has also received a setback,” Mehbooba said at the wreath-laying function at the CRPF headquarters at Humhama on Sunday
"People from many countries have started arriving but this would send a wrong signal about the situation here," she said.
The Chief Minister said such attacks also deprived Jammu and Kashmir from its share of development witnessed in the rest of India.
"Today there is atmosphere of development. India is attracting lot of investments in infrastructure development and healthcare but when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir, the investors shy away because of these incidents.
The worst sufferers of these attacks are people of Jammu and Kashmir," she said.
Mufti faced the ire of opposition for her statement. NC spokesperson Junaid Mattu claimed that Mehbooba Mufti while speaking to reporters after the wreath laying ceremony for the CRPF personnel martyred in Pampore has said that "she was ashamed as a Muslim over the attack."
"This is the same Mehbooba Mufti who used to say that terror has no religion. Now suddenly she sees terror as an offshoot of Islam for which Muslims should be ashamed.
This is shameful coming from a Chief Minister," Mattu said.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in a tweet said, "So Mehbooba Mufti has joined the "Islamic terror" bandwagon after spending years saying terror had no religion."
Meanwhile, Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar downplayed suggestions that the CRPF casualties could have been avoided in view of prior intelligence inputs and said the attackers were neutralised due to alertness of the jawans and intelligence inputs.
"It is a desperate act by the terrorists. You must have seen over the past few days the attacks at Anantnag, Bijbehara or Pampore, these are desperate acts. Over the past six months, many terrorists and their leadership have been eliminated," he said.
"The CRPF personnel were returning after doing their duty and in such cases they become sitting ducks. In earlier attacks, the militants managed to escape but yesterday, our jawans were alert, there were intelligence reports which led to neutralising of terrorists. They could not escape," Kumar said.
Asked if there was any militant involved in yesterday's attack on the loose, the DGP said, "We are investigating the case. We are looking at all possible angles and links and we will get them, we will get the perpetrators to the book."
On the forthcoming Amarnath Yatra which begins on July 2, Kumar said, "We will take all steps necessary for safe and secure environment for smooth conduct of the yatra."
On infiltration of militants from across the Line of Control, the DGP said while "some infiltration has taken place, JK police and security forces are all prepared and geared up to handle any sort of situation".
(With inputs from PTI)
