National Conference Chairman Farooq Abdullah sparked controversy with his remarks accusing security forces of colluding with terrorists. (Photo: PTI)
JK DGP RR Swain and Nirmal Singh slammed the veteran leader from the Valley and termed his remarks “deplorable” and “nonsense”.
After former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Indian National Conference President Farooq Abdullah accused Indian security agencies of colluding with terrorists trying to infiltrate the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Union Territory’s Director General of Police (DGP) RR Swain came out in harsh criticism of the veteran leader from the Valley.
“Despite having a massive military presence on our border, perhaps the largest in the world, terrorists continue to infiltrate into Indian territory. They are conspiring to destroy us,” he said.
Abdullah’s reaction came just a day after two Indian soldiers and a civilian were killed in a gunfight between security forces and terrorists in Anantnag district.
J-K’s top police officer RR Swain slammed the party leader and termed the remarks deplorable, while the BJP emphasised that Abdullah had made similar controversial statements in the past too.
“I am at a loss for words on this matter. Frankly speaking, the security forces, paramilitary, army and police have lost as many as 7,000 lives and continue to lose (more),” JK DGP RR Swain told CNN-News18.
“Security forces are on the frontline and are among the finest patriots of the Indian nation. That’s all I can say,” he further added.
“Farooq Abdullah often makes such statements. He is known for making nonsense statements and no one takes what he says seriously,” Nirmal Singh, a senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, told CNN-News18.
“You need to understand his background. This is Farooq Abdullah with Maqbool Bhatt,” he said. Bhatt was a separatist leader who attacked Kashmiri civilians and Indian army personnel after founding a separatist group, the National Liberation Front (NLF), which was later renamed the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF).
“It is being said that he has links with the JKLF as well. Just as we thought he had changed his mind as he was a former central minister and later became the chief minister,” Singh said, adding that Abdullah had said this because “his son lost in the last election”, referring to Omar Abdullah’s loss to independent candidate Engineer Rashid in Baramulla constituency.
