Pahalgam attack: An abomination, says Omar; LG vows killers won't go unpunished

SRINAGAR: J&K’s worst terrorist attack on tourists elicited Tuesday a wave of condemnation and calls for a strong response to what CM Omar Abdullah termed “an abomination perpetrated by animals, inhuman and worthy of contempt”. Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said the “blood of our forces is boiling”, assuring the country that the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack would “pay a very heavy price for their heinous act”.

“I am shocked beyond belief. No words of condemnation are enough…Needless to say, this attack is much larger than anything we have seen directed at civilians in recent years,” said Abdullah, whose first six months of his second stint as CM has been marked by repeated terrorist attacks on security forces and civilians.

PDP president and ex-CM Mehbooba Mufti said there could be no justification for targeting a throng of terrorists in Pahalgam. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. This senseless violence serves no purpose and only brings pain,” she said.

J&K’s head cleric and separatist Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said he was “deeply disturbed” by what he called an attempt to sully Kashmiri hospitality. “Such violence is unacceptable and against the ethos of Kashmir, which welcomes visitors with love and warmth. Condemn it strongly.”

People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone echoed the Mirwaiz’s sentiments, saying it was a shame that terrorists were able to destroy J&K’s reputation as “great hosts” and the green shoots sprouting in the tourism sector after many years.

“They (Kashmiris) had begun to dream. And here are the ugly villains to shatter it all. Make no mistake. These terror attacks are aimed at disempowering us economically yet again. Those who do this are the worst enemies of Kashmiris,” Lone said.

“They defile our history, they are a curse on our present, and they are enemies of our children. Please get out of our lives. These tourists are our revered guests.”

In Delhi, RSS issued a statement urging all political parties and organisations to “rise above their differences to condemn this terror act”.

“The govt must ensure comprehensive relief and assistance to the affected families and deliver appropriate punishment to those responsible,” RSS’s national general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said.

BJP president and Union minister JP Nadda said the Narendra Modi govt would ensure those involved in the attack were brought to justice. “The Modi govt follows a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism ,” he declared.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said his party would stand united with everyone in combating cross-border terrorism . “These dastardly targeted attacks are a blot on humanity,” he said.

Lok Sabha leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi fired a salvo at BJP soon after, asking the Modi govt to stop making “hollow claims about normalcy” in J&K, be accountable and initiate concrete steps to prevent such tragedies.

LG Sinha said he spoke to the DGP and senior Army officers, all of whom informed him that security forces were already on the job and would track down the terrorists who struck at Pahalgam.