Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday strongly condemned the terror attack in Kulgam that claimed the lives of two migrant workers, accusing Pakistan of attempting to disrupt peace and economic progress in the Union Territory.
Party leaders asserted that such acts of terrorism would not go unanswered and reaffirmed their confidence in the security forces’ response.
The attack took place on Friday evening when terrorists opened fire at close range on two non-local labourers working at a brick kiln in Kellam village of Kulgam district before fleeing the spot. Both victims, residents of Chhattisgarh, sustained critical bullet injuries and were initially rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Anantnag.
One of the injured, Deepak Rattray (24), succumbed to his injuries there, while the second victim, Bopinder (28), was referred to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) for specialised treatment, where he died on Saturday morning.
Reacting to the incident, J&K BJP President Sat Sharma told IANS that Pakistan was attempting to derail the improving situation in Jammu and Kashmir by sponsoring terrorism.
“Pakistan does not want peace to prevail in Jammu and Kashmir in any way, especially in Kashmir, where the economic situation has improved. Pakistan believes that if its own people are suffering from hunger, a similar atmosphere should exist in Jammu and Kashmir as well,” Sharma said.
He further alleged that Pakistan was focussed on promoting cross-border terrorism instead of addressing its own internal challenges.
“People do not have anything to eat or wear, and in such a situation, it is focussed on facilitating cross-border terrorism. Instead of thinking about its own development, Pakistan’s only focus is to create disruptions in India’s growth. It’s a warning that these things won’t go unanswered under PM Modi’s tenure,” he added.
BJP MLA from Bahu constituency, Vikram Randhawa, also condemned the attack and said terrorism had inflicted deep wounds on Jammu and Kashmir over the years, but maintained that the Centre’s policies had significantly weakened terror networks.
Speaking to IANS, Randhawa said, “The menace of terrorism had deeply affected Jammu and Kashmir. This is no secret. However, the Central government’s strong policies have dealt a major blow to terrorism. Even so, such a deep-rooted menace cannot be eliminated overnight. Their brutality and such acts show how low they have stooped. They come out only to meet their end. What they did yesterday was a highly cowardly act.”
BJP MLA from Ramnagar, Sunil Bhardwaj, said that the security and development landscape in Jammu and Kashmir had changed considerably over the past decade, although hostile elements continued to attempt to destabilise the region.
“Since 2014, the situation has changed significantly, and the BJP has consistently worked to ensure that the people of Kashmir move towards tourism instead of terrorism. However, some hostile elements across the border are still trying to destabilise Kashmir by carrying out targeted killings, attacking security forces, and targeting tourists in the region,” Bhardwaj told IANS.
BJP MLA from Akhnoor Mohan Lal condemned the attack and expressed confidence that the security agencies would deal firmly with those responsible.
“I strongly condemn this incident. It is deeply unfortunate and painful. Pakistan is still trying to revive terrorism. Some anti-social elements remain and are attempting to spread hatred among people. The aim is to ruin brotherhood in India. I am confident that the Indian Army and J&K Police will neutralise this problem as soon as possible,” he said.
The attack has once again raised concerns over attempts by terrorists to target civilians and migrant workers in Jammu and Kashmir, even as political leaders reiterated that such incidents would not derail ongoing efforts to maintain peace, strengthen security, and promote economic development in the Union Territory.
