Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that not every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir is associated with terrorism, warning against viewing all Kashmiris with suspicion. Speaking to reporters in Jammu, Omar said such an attitude makes it difficult to keep people “on the right path.”
“I gave my first reaction on the very first day. No amount of condemnation of this incident is enough. The brutal killing of innocent people in this manner is unacceptable — no religion allows this,” he said, referring to the recent violence in Delhi.
“The investigation is going on and all culprits must be punished.”
Omar said that only a few individuals were responsible for disturbing peace and brotherhood in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Not every person here is a terrorist or connected to terrorists,” he said.
“Unfortunately, when we start looking at every Kashmiri Muslim with suspicion and portray every Kashmiri as a terrorist, it becomes very difficult to keep people on the right path.”
He also said that while some educated individuals have been found involved in such acts, innocent people should not be targeted.
“Those responsible for the incident should be punished severely, but the innocent must be kept out of this,” Omar said.
