Farooq Abdullah Raises Concerns Over White-Collar Terrorism And Mishandling Of Explosives In Jammu And Kashmir

Farooq Abdullah highlights issues regarding white-collar terrorism and the mishandling of explosives in Jammu and Kashmir, advocating for a thorough investigation and better international relations.

Farooq Abdullah, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, recently made two contentious remarks. The first pertained a group of white-collar terrorists, including doctors, dismantled by police in Haryana. The second comment was about Operation Sindoor. Abdullah, who leads the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), questioned why these doctors chose such a path and called for an in-depth investigation.

He expressed concerns about the potential recurrence of an incident like Operation Sindoor following the recent terror module bust. "I hope no such thing [Operation Sindoor] will happen. Nothing came out of it. Eighteen of our people died. Our borders were compromised. I hope both nations improve their relations. That is the only way. I want to repeat what Vajpayee Ji said that friends can be changed, but neighbours cannot be changed," Abdullah stated.

Concerns Over Explosive Mishandling

Abdullah criticised authorities for mishandling explosives after a blast at a Srinagar police station killed nine people on Friday night. He emphasised that experts should have been consulted on handling explosives rather than officials attempting it themselves. "This is our mistake. Those who understand these explosives better should have spoken to them [officials] about how to deal with them, instead of trying to handle themselves," he remarked.

The explosion occurred at Nowgam's police station during a mandated forensic procedure, according to Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat. He mentioned that speculation over the incident was unnecessary as the explosives were recovered during raids on the white-collar terror module in Haryana days earlier.

Impact of Terror Module Bust

One doctor from the busted module, Umar Mohammad, panicked during police action and loaded an i20 with explosives, driving it to Delhi's Chandni Chowk where a blast killed 13 people. This incident has raised significant concerns about security and the handling of explosive materials by authorities.

The aftermath of these events has led to increased scrutiny on Kashmiris in Delhi, with fingers being pointed at them unjustly according to Abdullah. "We haven't yet come out of the crisis in Delhi where fingers are being pointed at every Kashmiri," he said, questioning when they would be accepted as Indians without blame for such incidents.

The widely held belief is that Pakistan betrayed former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during Kargil, leading to war. Abdullah's comments reflect ongoing tensions and hopes for improved relations between neighbouring countries while addressing internal security challenges.