National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Saturday slammed the central government’s handling of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, raising questions about why the terrorists are still not arrested.
On April 22, a terrorist attack in the Baisaran Valley of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination often referred to as ‘mini Switzerland,’ killed 25 tourists and a local.
Abdullah questioned the security measures in place, saying how the attackers managed to enter and operate in Pahalgam despite the region being heavily monitored by security forces, drones and CCTV surveillance.
“How did they come to Pahalgam? Why are they still at large when we have drones and CCTV cameras everywhere?” he asked. “We have so much of army, drones, and all the technology. How did they come? Till date, they can’t be found.”
Casting doubt on Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent claim that terrorism in Kashmir had been largely neutralised, he said, “If the Home Minister claimed four days ago that in Kashmir all terrorists have been neutralised, then how did the Pahalgam attack happen?”
He also questioned the role of the local administration. “The Lieutenant Governor is in charge here. What did they do against him? The Home Minister came days before the Pahalgam attack and said ‘we have destroyed the terror network’. Then how did the attack take place?”
“We say we are a very powerful country; no one is like us. But, this is an alarming situation,” he added.