Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Mr. Omar Abdullah on Sunday expressed shock and deep anguish over the killing of seven civilians near a gunfight at Laroo Kulgam.
Terming the killings as highly unfortunate, Dr Farooq Abdullah said that there is an immediate need to put an end to civilian killings. “It is heart-rending to learn about such incidents which have become the norm of the day. The situation calls for immediate de-escalation from all sides,” he said, the spokesman said in a statement.
Expressing heartfelt condolences with the bereaved families, Dr. Farooq Abdullah prayed for peace to the departed souls.
Omar Abdullah while expressing anguish over the killings said that little good can our words do to those who lost their loved ones. “I pray for peace to the souls of those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery for all the injured. I pray to Almighty to give courage to the families of victims to bear the loss.”
He said that seven civilian casualties in kulgam don’t augment well for peace to return back to our state. “A whole new generation is growing in conflict and what needs to be done is to start time-bound and result-oriented dialogue process.”
Party General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar, Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, State Secretaries Sakina Itoo, G A Shah, South Zone President Dr Bashir Veeri, District President Kulgam Ab Majeed Bhat, District President Anantnag Altaf Kaloo, Vice Provincial President Syed Shafi, Provincial Spokesperson and in charge Kulgam Imran Nabi Dar also condemned the killing of six civilians and prayed for peace to departed souls. The leaders demanded a high-level probe to ascertain the details of civilian killings and demanded exemplary punishment to those found guilty.
The leaders said that it is high time for the government of India to initiate a conciliatory process in order to thaw such incidents from happening. “It is cruel to serve catch-lines, and slogans to the people as conciliation, the situation is grim and demands earnest engagement with all stakeholders in the state to restore everlasting peace in our state,” they said.