Won’t let ‘Vested Interests’ prevent benefits of development from reaching people: Omar

Police and security forces will have to maintain their alert level even more: CM

22/10/2024

SRINAGAR, Oct 21: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he will not allow “vested interests” to prevent the benefits of peace and development from reaching the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who “enthusias-tically” participated in the recent elections.
The statement comes a day after a deadly terror attack at a tunnel constr-uction site in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal left seven people, including a doctor and six migrant labourers, dead.
Talking to reporters here, Abdullah said he will ensure that no obstacles impede the flow of developmental benefits to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The people have taken part in elections with enthusiasm with the hope that there will be improvement in their lives. We will not step back from that mission,” Abdullah said.
The chief minister had gone to the SKIMS Hospital at Soura to enquire about the condition of those injured in the terror attack in the Gagangir area of Ganderbal district on Sunday night.
Asked if those with vested interests were trying to target the development projects in Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah said he would not allow that to happen.
“When did the vested interests want the situation here to normalise? This is nothing new. But we have defeated these very vested interests in the past and we will defeat them again,” Abdullah asserted.
“We will not allow the development here to be stopped. If there are shortcomings in the security grid, we will remove them. I spoke to the DGP and we would advise all big projects not to take security issues lightly.
“Whatever they can do on their own, let them do it and let the security forces fill the gaps that remain,” he added.
The chief minister termed the attack as “very unfortunate”.
“Words are not enough to condemn this attack. What can be achieved by the use of terror against innocents? We have been seeing this for the past 35 years and nothing has changed in J&K.
“Whatever can be achieved for Jammu and Kashmir, it can be done in a peaceful atmosphere. Obviously, the reason behind this attack is to prove that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is not conducive,” he said.
Abdullah said the administration, especially police and security forces, will have to be extra alert and ensure that such attacks are not repeated.
“We have seen such an attack on a big project after many years. Before this, an attack took place at an IRCON camp when a railway tunnel was being executed,” he said.
On the oath-taking of MLAs earlier in the day, the chief minister said the first session of the Legislative Assembly will be held in the first week of November.
“Next month, the first week of November, the session of the legislature will take place. The legislature will start its work,” he said.
Omar expressed the need for the security forces and police to remain alert after the recent terrorist attack in Ganderbal which resulted in the deaths of seven people, including a doctor and migrant labourers.
"Now the administration, especially the police and security forces, will have to maintain their alert level even more and ensure that such attacks do not take place," said the J-K CM.
He questioned the use of violence against innocent people and asked what will be achieved by this adding that the reason behind this attack is that they want to show that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is not completely stable.
""No matter how much we condemn this attack, no matter how much we speak against it, it is not enough. How is this use of violence against innocent people justified and what will be achieved by this. We have been seeing this for the last 35 years but nothing has changed in Jammu and Kashmir. Whatever Jammu and Kashmir will get, it will be given in a peaceful environment. And the reason behind this attack is that they want to show that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is not completely stable," said Omar Abdullah.
He was visiting Manjkote in the Rajouri district of Kashmir to pay condolences to Muzaffar Iqbal Khan over the demise of the latter's mother. Khan recently won the assembly elections from Thannamandi constituency as an independent candidate.
Speaking on the violence against migrant workers at Gagangir in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah emphasised the need to speak against such incidents, implying that the violence is unjustified and nothing can be achieved by subjecting innocent people to the same. CM Abdullah informed that the reason behind this attack is that they want to show that there is no peace in Kashmir while urging the administration to remain alert to curb such attacks and maintain public security.
A doctor and six construction workers were killed when terrorists attacked a tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in the Ganderbal district late Sunday evening. The terrorists struck as the labourers and other staff returned to their camp in Gund, Ganderbal. The incident raised serious concern as this was a targeted killing by the terrorists.
Earlier, CM Abdullah sparked a row after he failed to label the violence against migrants as a "terrorist attack" and called it a "militant attack" instead. J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, before whom the newly minted CM Abdullah took his oath, strongly criticised the attack on innocent citizens, saying that no one would support bloodshed.
Meanwhile, Abdullah recently resigned from the Budgam assembly constituency and retained the Ganderbal seat that remains the bastion of the National Conference (NC). This comes after he won two assembly seats in the recently held assembly elections.

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