SRINAGAR: The mainstream and separatist politicians and parties have condemned the militant attack on Amarnath yatri bus in south Kashmir yesterday in which seven yatris including six women were killed and 19 others injured.
Ruling PDP strongly condemned the militant attack on yatris.
“Kashmir stands united in condemning the brutal attack on Yatris. Such terror acts can never be accepted by this society,” said a PDP spokesman.
He said attack on civilians, yatris, who were guests of Kashmir, only shows how desperate these militant are to create communal divisions.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti stayed overnight with victims and families of the yatris at Anantnag Hospital in south Kashmir.
“The yatris were esteemed guest of Kashmir and perpetrators of crime have done a death blow to the ethos and culture of the state. The police should not spare the perpetrators of the crime,” she said.
Mehbooba said has come for every right thinking Kashmiri to rise against this macabre menace before it devours everybody around.
"It is a gruesome attack not only on unsuspecting guests but a brazen attack on Kashmir and Kashmiriyat and all of us shall have to rise against this scourge of violence sooner the better," she said.
J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President G A Mir strongly condemned the militant attack on yatris.
Describing the attack as shocking and highly shameful, he said offered deepest condolences to bereaved families and sympathized with them.
He expressed solidarity with bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace to departed souls.
Mir expressed serious concern over the deteriorating situation in the Valley.
The State Congress also strongly condemned the attack on yatris and described it as cowardly and a deliberate attempt to vitiate the atmosphere of peace in the State.
Opposition National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and working president Omar Abdullah have also strongly condemned the attack on yatris.
They termed the militant attack on yatris as dastardly and cowardly attack.
Both the leaders expressed solidarity with the bereaved families.
CPI (M) State Secretary and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami termed the attack shameful and a big blow to the tradition of the communal harmony of Kashmir.
“Our state has always been an abode of communal harmony, rich traditions of brotherhood, which stood test of times even during the difficult phase of turmoil in the state. The attack is an attempt to disrepute the plural ethos of the State,” he said.
Tarigami said Amarnath Yatra has been going on since long and people of Kashmir have been earning a livelihood out of this tradition and have been enthusiastically in the forefront of welcoming the Yatris.
“Yatris have not come with any political agenda and people of Kashmir have no animosity with people of India. Such barbaric acts only isolate people of Kashmir further,” he said.
The CPI (M) leader appealed people of State not to fall prey to forces of extremism desperate to disrupt the harmony.
“The biggest strength lies in our unity and we have to unitedly raise our voice against the forces of disruption,” he added.
Independent legislator and Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) President, Hakim Mohammad Yasin termed the militant attack on yatris as an assault on values and traditions of Kashmir.
"Kashmir is known for its communal harmony and has always welcomed the pilgrims with open arms. The attack on pilgrims is an assault on our secular traditions. Words fall short to condemn such a shameful act,” he said.
Yasin expressed hearfelt sympathies with the families of the deceased and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
The separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik also condemned the attack.
In a joint statement, they expressed deep sorrow and grief over the Killing of yatris and strongly condemned it.
“This incident goes against the very grain of Kashmiri ethos. The annual Amarnath yatra has been going on peacefully for centuries and is part of our yearly rhythm and will remain so. Our heart goes out to the families of the bereaved and we express our heartfelt condolences to them,” they said.
The Jamaat-e-Islami has also condemned the militant attack on yatris.
“We express deep concern over the killing of seven innocent Amarnath yatris and others who got injured. It is an act of cowardice and not justifiable from any angle and as such is condemned. Jamaat Islami expresses solidarity with all the bereaved families and with the injured too,” Jamaat spokesman Advocate Zahid Ali said.
He demanded an impartial probe by any international agency to find out the truth behind the attack.