An all-party meeting was called by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to discuss the fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack on Thursday (April 24). A two-minute silence was observed at the beginning of the All-Party Meeting to honour the innocent lives lost in the Pahalgam terror attack. This was a solemn moment of shared grief and determination among the leaders in attendance.
Such cowardly acts have no place in society: Omar Abdullah
After the all-party meeting, J&K CM Omar Abdullah said, "We, the participants of the All Party meeting of Jammu and Kashmir, deeply shocked and anguished by the recent barbaric attack in Pahalgam on April 22 on innocent civilians, hereby adopt this resolution in a spirit of collective solidarity and resolve. We unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms the heinous, inhumane attack in Pahalgam that targeted and killed innocent civilians. Such cowardly acts of brutality against peaceful citizens have no place in society and are a direct assault on the values of Kashmiriyat and the idea of India, which have long been a symbol of unity, peace and harmony in the region."
All parties extend deepest condolences to families who suffered loss: CM Abdullah
"We also support the steps taken by the Union Government announced yesterday. We extend our deepest condolences to the families who have suffered loss...We salute the supreme sacrifice of Shahid Syed Adil Hussain Shah, who ferried tourists on his horse in Pahalgam and was martyred during his attempt to fight one of the terrorists to save the tourists," Jammu and Kashmir CM said.
Protect citizens, students of Kashmir: J-K CM
"We humbly and earnestly appeal to the governments of all states and Union Territories in these trying times to come forward with an unwavering commitment to protect the Kashmiri students and citizens who find themselves far from home...We call upon all political parties, community leaders, religious institutions, youth groups, civil society organisations and media organisations in J&K and the nation to maintain calm, resist provocations of those who seek to disrupt harmony and continue working together for peace and development of the region...," CM Abdullah added.
Leaders of various political parties arrived at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), the venue of the meeting, to participate in the meeting that began at 3:00 pm today. The meeting, convened by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah brought together leaders from across the political spectrum to deliberate on the path forward in the wake of the April 22 terror attack that shook the region.
Senior PDP leader and former Law Minister Syed Basharat Ahmed Bukhari called the incident "shocking" ahead of the high-level deliberations. "The incident was shocking. Everyone was grieving yesterday. What can be bigger than humanity? This is just like a punctuation point in a paragraph," Bukhari told the media. Several senior leaders, including National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah, attended the meeting, signalling political consensus on the need for a coordinated response to terror threats.
Here is the list of parties/leaders who participated in the meeting-
- National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah
- Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Ghulam Nabi Azad
- J-K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra
- Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari
- People's Conference chief Sajad Lone
- People's Democratic Party's (PDP's) Mehboob Beg
Other political parties, including the BJP, JDU, CPI(M), Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), Peoples Democratic Front (PDF), Awami National Conference (ANC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and National Panthers Party (NPP) also attended the meeting.
NC's Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, also attended the meeting. CM Abdullah on Wednesday (April 23) convened an all-party meeting to discuss the fallout of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 tourists were killed and a dozen others were injured.
"In the aftermath of the attack in Pahalgam I have called an all-party meeting tomorrow afternoon. I have sent letters of invitation to all major political parties, all honourable Members of Parliament from Jammu and Kashmir and the Leader of Opposition in the J-K assembly," Abdullah posted on X.
"I write to you with a heavy heart, in the aftermath of the horrific attack that took place in Pahalgam on Tuesday. The lives lost and the anguish inflicted upon innocent citizens have deeply shaken us all. This is not mere a tragedy for a region or party -- it is a wound upon the very soul of Jammu and Kashmir," Abdullah wrote in the letter to various political party heads.
The chief minister said it was the collective responsibility of the political leaders as representatives of the people and "custodians of democratic values" to come together and stand united in response, irrespective of political affiliations.