‘Can’t treat stone pelters as terrorists and randomly keep shooting them’
SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday rebutted the claims of governor Satya Pal Malik that mainstream leaders don’t openly oppose stone pelting, but admit it privately with him.
Reacting strongly, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah wrote on the social networking site Twitter that he has no confusion about stone pelting in Kashmir and sought an explanation from the governor.
“Let me say this publicly so that Governor Sahib is under no confusion - civilians should not throw stones & should not rush to encounter sites. I’m not saying this publicly for the first time & it won’t be the last time I’m saying this. How does Gov Malik know what I think about anything? Is he quoting a conversation I’ve had with him privately? Are my calls being monitored? Is my office/residence bugged? He owes me, if not @Mehboobamufti Sahiba an explanation,” Omar tweeted.
Omar, however, said stone throwers should not be treated as terrorists.
“At the same time we can’t treat stone throwers as terrorists & randomly keep shooting them but that’s a conversation for another day. Right now I’m curious to know how Governor Malik Sb knows what I think privately,” he tweeted.
In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, governor Satya Pal Malik had said Kashmir’s political parties should also tell the boys to avoid encounter site, in reply to a question that will he condemn the killing of civilians and death of seven Kashmiris in Kulgam last week.
Responding to HT’S question, Malik had said the killing of even one civilian is wrong.
“It is difficult to sanitise rural locations. People should understand that they should not be rushing to encounter sites. Who do I blame for the 60 deaths on a railway track in Amritsar? The public should not be careless. Kashmir’s political parties should also tell the boys to avoid encounter sites and stone pelting. Omar (Abdullah) and Madam (Mehbooba Mufti) have agreed with me on this privately, but are not willing to say it openly. They say something else in Delhi and something else in Srinagar.”
On October 21, seven civilians were killed in an explosion in south Kashmir’s Kulgam.