Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed profound grief and strongly condemned the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, among whom were mostly tourists. Speaking at the state Assembly, the CM said that he has no words to express the pain. He said that the tragedy has not only affected the victim's families but also the entire nation.
Omar Abdhullah said that he is struggling to find a way to apologise to the families of the victims of the April 22 attack in Baisaran Valley.
"This incident affected the entire country. We have seen many such attacks in the past. An attack of such a large scale has been carried out after 21 years in Baisaran. I did not know how to apologise to the families of the deceased. Being the host, it was my duty to send the tourists back safely. I couldn't do it. I do not have the words to seek an apology," he said.
At the start of the day's session, the Assembly observed a two-minute silence to honour the victims, a solemn acknowledgement of the grief and outrage that the attack had sparked across the region.
Condemning the violence in the strongest terms, Abdullah made it clear that there was no justification for such an act. "Neither of us supports this attack. This attack has hollowed us. We are trying to find a ray of light in this."
Speaking on statehood demands, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he would not use the tragedy of the Pahalgam terror attack to push for statehood. He questioned how he could ask for statehood in the aftermath of such a devastating incident, remarking that it would be shameful to do so. He added that while discussions on statehood had taken place in the past and would continue in the future, it would be inappropriate to approach the central government on the issue in the wake of the attack.
The Pahalgam attack, one of the deadliest in recent memory, has revived painful memories of past tragedies while strengthening calls for unity and firm action against terrorism.
