Following the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam that left at least 26 tourists dead in Jammu and Kashmir's Baisaran Valley, ex-J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah issued a heart-wrenching appeal: "Please don't think that Kashmiris are your enemies."
His appeal follows across-the-nation outrage and sorrow, along with fears about the safety of tourists and the possibility of heightened mistrust between Kashmiris and the rest of India.
Omar Abdullah and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference denounced the attack and called for a Kashmir Bandh as an act of solidarity against terrorism and to articulate collective outrage against the violence. The attack, which was attributed to The Resistance Front, a group identified with Lashkar-e-Taiba, was targeted at tourists, with witnesses stating that the attackers enquired about the identity of victims before firing at them.
Locals Kashmiris, such as pony operators, risked their lives to save tourists, emphasizing that residents of the area, whose livelihood is dependent on tourism, were also shaken by the disaster.
Abdullah's message aims to avert the stigmatization of ordinary Kashmiris, who have consistently denounced such violence and borne its economic and social consequences.
The appeal emphasizes the importance of national solidarity and warns against tar-brushing an entire community in the wake of terror attacks.
