Daijiworld Media Network - Srinagar

Srinagar, May 2: Former union minister and national conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Friday strongly hinted at Pakistan's hand in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, linking it to the same handlers behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and strikes in Uri, Pulwama, Pathankot, Rajouri and Poonch.

Terming the April 22 attack that claimed 26 lives as a ‘murder of humanity’, Abdullah told, “The handlers must be the same ones who did it before. It’s not just about today. They did it in URI too. You must have seen what happened in Pulwama. Who did it in Mumbai? Who did it in Pathankot? Who did it in Rajouri and Poonch? The handlers are sitting there.”

The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister said the motive behind the attack seemed to be to derail the peaceful atmosphere returning to the region and disrupt the growing tourism in the Valley. “Thousands of tourists are roaming here peacefully. They didn’t like it. Since 1947, they have been trying to destroy our progress and will continue to try,” he said.

Calling for stern action, he said, “The culprits should be caught and given exemplary punishment.”

Abdullah also expressed doubts over the possible involvement of local elements. “I don’t think this kind of thing can happen without some kind of help. Unless someone supports them, how did they come, from where did they come?” he questioned.

Reacting to reports suggesting the involvement of Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Rauf Asghar, brother of Masood Azhar, as one of the masterminds of the Pahalgam attack, Abdullah expressed regret over the 1999 decision to release Azhar during the IC-814 hijacking crisis.

“I had said even then don’t release him. He had already laid his plans. And now see the consequences. My cousin was shot at his home. Children are dying. We had caught him with great difficulty, and they let him go to Pakistan. No one listened,” he recalled.