Every Kashmiri youth not radicalised, says CM Omar Abdullah

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, JUNE 05 (STC):
The perception that every Kashmiri Muslim youth is radicalised is far from reality. The investigations into last year’s Pahalgam attack did not establish the involvement of local youths.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated this today in his address at the annual “The Hindu Huddle” event. He said, “There are elements trying to radicalise youngsters, but the belief that every young Muslim, particularly every young Kashmiri boy, is a jihadi looking to pick up a gun and kill innocent people could not be further from the truth.”
Referring to the Pahalgam attack, CM Omar said security agencies had initially acted against several locals on the basis of suspicion but later investigations found that the attackers were not residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
“After the investigation was concluded and those behind the attack were identified, not one of the attackers was a local Kashmiri boy. They were all from outside Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Alleging that efforts to radicalise people on religious lines in different parts of the country have wider consequences, the J&K CM said, “When you see attempts to radicalise youngsters on religious lines, you cannot expect there will be no knock-on effect elsewhere.”
Meanwhile, he called for all political parties in Jammu and Kashmir to unite and jointly struggle for the restoration of constitutional rights and protections that were removed following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
He said political parties should learn from the example of Ladakh, where people had united to press for their demands.
Welcoming recent calls for opposition unity, including a letter by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CM Omar said all parties should suspend partisan politics if they were sincere about restoring the region’s rights.
He said he would be willing to make personal sacrifices for such a united movement.
CM Omar also criticised what he described as a lack of trust within political ranks, referring to the manner in which legislators were reportedly moved between locations during recent political developments.
(Straight Talk Communications)