Budgam (Jammu and Kashmir) [India]: Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah took a veiled dig at the Centre over its claims of normalcy in the Union Territory while pitching in for peace talks for restoring peace.
His response came after four army officers and a Deputy Superintendent of Police were killed in two separate encounters in two days in Rajouri and Anantnag districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The NC veteran on Thursday visited the house of slain DySP Humayun Bhat who was killed in an encounter that broke out in the Kokernag area on Wednesday and continued on the second consecutive day on Thursday.
He expressed his condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased.
Speaking to the media in Budgam, Farooq said that he does not see an end to the encounters which, as per him, were taking place daily in kashmir.
“I don’t see the end of this (encounters). Today we had an encounter in Rajouri, there are encounters daily (taking place in (Kashmir). The government (Centre and J-K) is shouting daily that militancy is over (in Kashmir). Now tell me, is militancy over?”
“This (encounters ) will not be over until a path is not found through which peace can be achieved. Peace cannot be achieved through a fight, it can come through talks…”
Beside a DySP, an Indian Army Colonel commanding a Rashtriya Rifles Unit along with a major were also killed in the Anantnag encounter.
The killed officers have been identified as Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonak & DySP Humayun Bhat.
Two terrorists were killed by security forces during an encounter that began in the Narla area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri on Tuesday.
Security forces have recovered a large quantity of warlike stores, including medicines, with Pakistan markings during a search amid the encounter that continued on Wednesday evening according to officials.
