The former J&K chief minister escaped unhurt after a 63-year-old local man, Kamal Singh Jamwal, fired at him from close range with a licensed pistol on Wednesday night
National Conference president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has linked an attack on his life to the “deep-rooted hate in the country”. Abdullah spoke a day after a failed assassination attempt on him during a wedding function in the Greater Kailash area of Jammu.
Speaking to the media, Abdullah expressed gratitude for his survival and described what unfolded while he had a close shave.
“The biggest tragedy is the hate in the country has become deep-rooted. No religion teaches hate; all religions teach love and respect, and I feel we have left that religion,” Farooq Abdullah said.
“God saved me,” he said, adding that he initially mistook the gunshot for a firecracker. He described hearing the sound as he exited the venue and being quickly rushed to safety by his team.
On the security arrangements, he said that the police deployment was poor, and an investigation should be conducted into the matter.
“Such incidents are happening because we are living in an era of hatred,” he said.
Regarding the assailant, Abdullah said he bore no personal animosity with anyone. “I have never developed hate for anyone in my heart; I don’t know what was his grudge against me,” the veteran leader said.
He further said that “no matter how much security you increase, the killer always has an advantage. The problem is that we live in an era where terrorism is up in the sky, and we cannot control it.”
The NC chief reiterated his call for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and urged authorities to examine whether the claimed normalcy in the region truly exists.
