POLITICAL ACTIVIST KILLED IN J&K
SRINAGAR: A political activist, Ghulam Nabi Patail, was killed and two policemen injured in a militant attack in Rajpora Chowk area in south Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Wednesday, officials said.
Political parties promptly condemned the killing but confusion prevailed over Patail's affiliation. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned the killing describing Patail as a senior Congress leader while the Congress claimed he was a well-known PDP activist.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah waded in saying if neither PDP nor Congress was willing to own Patail as one of their own, he could be called an NC worker.
The Congress and PDP were not keening on owning the killed leader as their own to avoid conveying to their workers that they were at risk, Abdullah, a former chief minister claimed. Giving details of the attack, a police official said three persons were injured when militants opened fire in the Rajpora Chowk area. One of the injured, a political activist identified as Ghulam Nabi Patail, resident of Shadimarg area, succumbed to injuries while being taken to a hospital, he added. The other two injured, both policemen, were being treated upon at a hospital and their condition was said to be stable, the police official said. Security forces have cordoned off the area and a hunt has been launched to nab the attackers, he said.
Patail had contested the 2002 J&K assembly elections on a Congress ticket but switched over to Socialist Democratic Party in 2008 assembly elections. He did not contest the 2014 state polls.
Heartfelt condolences to the family of senior Congress leader, G. N. Patel who was killed by militants today in Rajpora. Such cowardly acts achieve nothing but leave one more family devastated (sic), Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is also the president of PDP, tweeted.
A Congress party spokesman, while strongly condemning the killing, said Patail was a well-known PDP activist .
The Congress spokesperson said the killings, in any form, were highly condemnable and must be condemned by every section of the people. He offered deepest condolences to the bereaved family. Meanwhile, opposition National Conference working president Omar Abdullah, while condemning the killing, said if neither PDP nor Congress was willing to own Patail as one of their own, he could be called an NC leader. What terrible news to start the day with here. My heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased & prayers for the injured. Allah Jannat naseeb karay, Omar tweeted. How tragic that Patel Sahib, a political worker assassinated by militants in Kashmir, is being disowned by both the PDP & Congress. If neither party is willing to own him as one of their own let's just call him a NC worker so his death is not in vain(sic), Omar added in another tweet. The former chief minister said Patail was being denied the dignity of having been killed for his political affiliations so that the PDP and Congress can lie to their workers to claim they were not at risk.