After the terrible terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah gave a strong and emotional speech. He said he would not use the tragedy for political benefits. Speaking in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly during a special session, Mr Abdullah said, "Jammu and Kashmir is currently not the elected government's responsibility. But I don't want to use this as an opportunity to demand statehood. How can I use the Pahalgam tragedy to ask the Centre for statehood? Is my politics so cheap? Do I value these 26 lives so little?"

He made it very clear that now is not the time for politics. "We have spoken about statehood earlier and will do so in the future. But shame on me if I go to the Centre and ask for it now. At this point, no politics, no business rules, no statehood. This time is only for the strong condemnation of this attack and heartfelt support for the victims," he said.

When some members of the Assembly started tapping the benches to praise his speech, Mr Abdullah stopped them. "Not today; we will tap the benches some other day," he said.

The National Conference, led by Mr Abdullah, has been demanding that Jammu and Kashmir's full statehood should be restored to what it was before August 5, 2019. On that date, the Centre removed Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and divided it into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

What did Omar Abdullah say about the victims?

In his powerful speech, Mr Abdullah said that the entire country has been deeply hurt by this cruel attack. On April 22, 25 tourists and a local Kashmiri pony ride operator were shot dead by terrorists at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam.

Mr Abdullah said, "From north to south, east to west, Arunachal to Gujarat, Jammu to Kashmir to Kerala, the whole country has come in the throes of this attack." He read out the names and states of all 26 victims to show how the pain has touched every corner of India.

He also said that Jammu and Kashmir had started to believe that such terrible attacks were now a thing of the past. "Unfortunately, Baisaran has created the same situation where we feel the next attack will be," he said. Mr Abdullah mentioned that he stood with the Leader of the Opposition in the police control room when they paid tribute to the victims. "I had no words to apologise to the victims' families," he added.

Mr Abdullah explained that the security in Jammu and Kashmir is not controlled by the elected government anymore. However, as the chief minister and as the tourism minister, he felt responsible for the tourists' safety. "I welcomed them here. As a host, it was my responsibility to ensure their safe return. I could not. I had no words to apologise. What could I say to those children who saw their fathers covered in blood, to that Navy officer's widow who was married days ago?" he said. Mr Abdullah said the victims' families asked, "What was their mistake?" and told them that they would "pay for that holiday lifelong".

How did Omar Abdullah target the terrorists?

Speaking directly against the terrorists, Mr Abdullah said, "Those who did this claim they did it for us. But did we ask for this? Did we say that these 26 people should be sent back in coffins in our name? Did we agree to this? None of us is with this attack. This attack has hollowed us out."

He added that even in the worst of times, there is still some hope. Mr Abdullah said that for the first time in more than two decades, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have come out on the streets to protest such an attack. "From Kathua to Kupwara, there is no town or village where people did not protest against this. They said, 'Not in my name'. And this is spontaneous," he said.

 

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