Former Union Minister Farooq Abdullah, president of the National Conference party, has strongly suggested Pakistan’s involvement in the recent Pahalgam terror attack. He drew parallels between this incident and previous major attacks, stating that the “same handlers” responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the Uri, Pulwama, and Pathankot strikes, are behind the April 22nd tragedy in the Baisaran Valley.
Speaking to a news agency, Abdullah, a former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, described the Pahalgam attack as “very painful” and a “murder of humanity.” He emphasized, “Anyone could be involved in the Pahalgam incident. Until we catch them, we cannot say who it is. The handlers must be the same ones who did it before. It’s not just about today. They did it in URI too. You must have seen what happened in Pulwama. Who did it in Mumbai? Who did it in Pathankot? Who did it in Rajouri and Poonch? The handlers are sitting there.”
He theorized that Pakistan’s motive behind the attack was to disrupt the progress and peace prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir. “They feel that we are living in peace, living calmly, thousands of tourists are roaming here. They didn’t like it. They want us not to stay with them. Since 1947, they have tried to destroy as much as they can and will continue to try,” he asserted.
Abdullah demanded strict action against the perpetrators, calling for them to be “caught and given exemplary punishment.” He also expressed suspicion about the involvement of local Kashmiris, stating, “I don’t think this kind of thing can happen without some kind of help. Unless someone supports them, how did they come, from where did they come?”
Amid reports indicating that Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Rauf Asghar, brother of Jaish chief Masood Azhar, might be a mastermind behind the attack, Abdullah criticized the Indian government’s decision to release Masood Azhar in exchange for hostages from the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999. “I said earlier too, when Azhar was released, I said don’t release him. He has already made his paths. Who knows if he is involved in this too? But no one listened to me. They took him to Pakistan. Children were killed here. They shot my cousin at his home. We caught him with great difficulty, but they took him in a plane to Kandahar. No one listened to us in that,” he reiterated.
