J&K National Conference condemns attack on Sukhbir Badal

The ruling National Conference on Thursday condemned the attack on Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal near Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan Ji in Maharashtra’s Nanded and urged the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to intervene.

National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah, while addressing a press conference in Srinagar in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, expressed serious concern over the incident and said Badal had been targeted several times in the past.

Abdullah also suspected a security lapse and called for greater attention to the protection of vulnerable political and public figures.

“The government must remember that these are very vulnerable personalities. There has been an attack before, and one cannot say that another attack cannot happen in the future,” he said.

“Thank God, the attackers were not successful last time, and they were not successful this time either. But all of us, particularly the Government of India, must take note of this and ensure that such incidents do not happen again,” he said.

On the recent threat issued against Kashmiri Pandit employees in the Valley, Abdullah said he was surprised and questioned the origin and motive of the threat.

“It is not only Kashmiri Pandits who are here. There are other people here, including Hindu officers in the government and political leaders from different backgrounds. Why are they not receiving threats? Why have only these people been threatened?” he asked.

Abdullah said security was not under the control of the elected government and appealed to the Union Home Ministry to order an investigation into the matter.

“Who is doing this? Who is using social media to create such a situation? I believe there is something fishy and this needs to be looked into,” he said.