Pampore terror attack: Assault aimed to subvert peace process in J&K, says Mehbooba Mufti

Eight Central Reserve Police Force (CFPF) personnel were killed and 24 injured on Saturday after militants, believed to be Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives operatives, opened fire at a convoy belonging to the paramilitary force in Pampore on the outskirts of Srinagar. Two militants were also shot dead in retaliatory fire. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and other leaders paid homage to the martyred jawans on Sunday.

Srinagar: J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti pays homage to CRPF jawans who lost their lives in Pampore terror attack yesterday pic.twitter.com/QOjuM43HxH

— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2016

Srinagar: Wreath laying ceremony of CRPF jawans who lost their lives in yesterday's terror attack in Pampore (J&K) pic.twitter.com/vVaLyIAKdB

— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2016

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Mehbooba Mufti strongly condemned the militant attack and said that the assault was aimed at “subverting peace” and development initiatives launched by the state government. “The only purpose of such blood-spattered acts of violence is to add to the tragedies and miseries of the people and subvert the government’s efforts aimed at bringing permanent peace and prosperity to Jammu and Kashmir,” she said. Mehbooba said the elements inimical to interests of Jammu and Kashmir have always tried to derail the peace efforts and the latest militant strike in Pampore was again aimed at “subverting the peace and development initiatives launched by the government”. While expressing solidarity with the bereaved families of the security forces personnel, she prayed for early recovery of the injured. “I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in today’s dastardly militant attack,” she said, adding, violence has not served any purpose in the past, nor is it going to do anything in future, except shedding precious human blood. Governor N N Vohra too conveyed his grief on the killing of the CRPF personnel in the attack, an official spokesman said. He said the Governor conveyed his sympathy to the families of those killed and wished early recovery to the injured personnel. After the deadliest attack in the recent times, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit said that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir needs to be solved between India and Pakistan. “We hope we will sit and discuss on the issue and find a solution. It’s the month of Ramzaan, let’s focus on this Iftaar party,” Basit told the media, after the Iftar party hosted at the Pakistan High Commission.

#WATCH: Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit on Pampore (Jammu & Kashmir) terrorist attack. https://t.co/jkzSn90gXs

— ANI (@ANI_news) June 25, 2016 Meanwhile, the Janata Dal launched an attack on Basit for not condemning the attack in Pampore. JD(U) leader Ajay Alok told ANI, “How does it matter to Abdul Basit if terrorist attack takes place in India, will he cancel his Iftar? He called the separatists in the Iftar. Who are these separatists? They are the ones who help the terrorists. The Government of India knows this, but still turning a blind eye to this. They say they will make Kashmir a part of India. They say something and do something else.” Militants attacked the convoy at Pampore, though two terrorists were killed in the gun battle, reports suggest that two militants are still at large. The injured were rushed to the hospital where doctors declared five of them having been brought dead, while the condition of four of the 21 personnel was stated to be critical. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid homage to the eight martyred CRPF personnel on Twitter saying that he was “pained by their demise.” https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/746736668791562240 https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/746737007464849408 Home Minister Rajnath Singh too expressed deep anguish over the killing in the Pampore ambush. “My heart goes out to the families of the CRPF men who lost their lives in Pampore. I also pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said in a tweet. https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/746695212437807104 https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/746695587018440704 Calling it a “tragedy”, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said, “All aspects will be looked into.” Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also condemned the attack and expressed his views on Twitter. https://twitter.com/abdullah_omar/status/746719388993216512 Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, strongly condemned the attack. “It is painful to learn about the death of our soldiers who are fighting a proxy war and had succeeded in creating an atmosphere in the state, as a result of which the tourists from across the world are visiting Kashmir, thereby contributing to the economy of the state,” Azad said in a statement. “This terrorist attack at this juncture on our brave security forces should be condemned by one and all,” he said. The Congress leader also expressed hope that the state authorities and security agencies will nab the culprits involved in the act. Congress President Sonia Gandhi condemned the killing of the eight CRPF men as a “dastardly” act. She said the sacrifice of the CRPF men is “supreme and unforgettable.” “We stand with their families in this hour of grief and distress,” she said. BJP leader Yashwant Sinha expressed grief and accepted that the government’s Pakistan’s policy has failed.

With great sadness, I would like to say that our Govt's Pakistan policy has completely failed: Yashwant Sinha,BJP pic.twitter.com/NSeeV25NfY

— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2016

Condemning the attack, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Pradip Bhattacharya, demanded a thorough investigation by NIA into the incident. “I strongly condemn this attack and I demand that there should be a thorough investigation by the NIA into the case,” he told PTI. Bhattacharya, also a senior Congress leader from West Bengal, said the Centre should be more alert about the terror activities in the country. “The government should be more cautious and alert in dealing with terror activities,” he said. This is the third terror strike in three weeks targeting security personnel and the deadliest after the 24 June, 2013 attack on Army personnel at Hyderpora on the outskirts of Srinagar in which nine armymen were gunned down. This is the second attack on a bus carrying security personnel within three weeks. On 3 June, terrorists had fired at a bus carrying BSF personnel in Bijbehara, killing two of them. On June four, terrorists had gunned down three policemen at general bus stand. With inputs from PTI