Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday called for restraint, urging law enforcement agencies not to target innocent civilians while pursuing those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack.
Omar also acknowledged the prevailing atmosphere and the need for time in handling the situation.
“We cannot deny the situation, nor can we close our eyes to it,” he told reporters in Srinagar.
The Chief Minister emphasized that in the hunt for the perpetrators of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, that left 25 tourists and a civilian dead, the innocents must not be made to suffer.
“It should not appear that we are trying to catch all the people of Jammu and Kashmir just to nab a few,” he remarked.
Omar said they had conveyed their concerns over the security measures in some areas.
“We have made our point about being a little careful in this regard,” he noted.
After the Pahalgam attack, security grid in Kashmir have stepped up crackdown against terror ecosystem. In last two weeks, nearly 2900 people have been detained for questioning or preventive custody and also 90 individuals have been booked under the stringent Public Safety Act.
Responding to reports about the death of a youth from Kulgam—who was picked up by security forces and later found dead in a stream—Omar said such incidents should not happen.
“…The news of arrests and detentions is coming in from across the Valley,” he said, pointing out that the people of Jammu and Kashmir had clearly voiced their anger over the attack.
“For the first time after such an incident, people came out and expressed their displeasure. They said clearly that they do not support this kind of violence,” Omar added, underlining the collective rejection of militancy by the local population.
