The ongoing action against suspected terrorists has evoked sharp reaction from political leaders in Jammu & Kashmir.
The residences of three more suspected terrorists were demolished by security personnel in South Kashmir, taking the number of such razed homes to nine since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, officials said on Sunday.
The ongoing action against suspected terrorists has evoked sharp reaction from political leaders in Jammu & Kashmir. While chief minister Omar Abdullah said strong action must be taken against terrorists, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former CM Mehbooba Mufti emphasised the need to distinguish between civilians and terrorists during counterterror operations following the attack that claimed the lives of 26 people.
According to officials, three residences of suspected terrorists were razed during the intervening night of April 26-27. The houses of Adnan Shafi Dar in Zainapora area of Shopian, Amir Nazir in Daramdora area of Pulwama, and Jameel Ahmad in Naz Colony area of Bandipora.
Officials said that all the terrorists were associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), with Dar affiliated with its offshoot The Resistance Front (TRF), which has claimed responsibility for the April 22 attack. Ahmad, meanwhile, has been reportedly operating out of Pakistan since 2017.
The action comes days after six residences of suspected terrorists were razed by security forces in South Kashmir since April 24. While security forces said the explosions were caused by bombs kept at the houses, relatives of some of the terrorists alleged that the forces planted the explosives.
Amid the ongoing crackdown against suspected terrorists, chief minister Omar Abdullah said that strong action must be taken. “After the Pahalgam terror attack, there must be a decisive fight against terrorism and its origin. People of Kashmir have come out openly against terrorism and the murder of innocent people, they did this freely & spontaneously,” he said in a post on X.
However, he also noted that innocent civilians should not be harmed by the punitive action taken by security forces and the administration. “It’s time to build on this support and avoid any misplaced action that alienates people. Punish the guilty, show them no mercy but don’t let innocent people become collateral damage,” he further said.
Former chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said the Centre must “tread with caution” and distinguish between terrorists and civilians while taking action. “It must not alienate innocent people, especially those opposing terror,” she said on X.
