Amid the nationwide outrage and condemnation in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is holding a special session on Monday to express their condolences towards the victims and to denounce the act.
The session is being attended by all the members of the Legislative Assembly, including Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma, Independent MLA from Baramulla Sheikh Abdul Rashid, AAP J&K President Mehraj Malik, National Conference leader Mubarak Gul, J&K Minister Javed Dar, Peoples Democratic Party leader Waheed Para, Awami Ittehad Party leader Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh and others who arrived at the assembly earlier today.
Speaking to reporters on the special session, Leader of the Opposition Sharma said that the agenda of this session was to express their condolences to those 26 people who lost their lives in the attack and to stand united with the Union Government in order to combat terrorism and provide.
“The agenda of the session is clear. We will express our condolences to those 26 people who came here as tourists to spend the best moments of their lives… something unfortunate that has caused shockwaves among all the Indian people, and in opposition to this attack, we have united here… The session aims to convey the Union Government’s message to combat terrorism to the legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir… Today, there will be no political discussion, including discussions that divide the country or those based on religious divides. The special session gives backup and strength to the Union government,” Sharma said.
When asked if any kind of resolution on the attack will be tabled during the session, the J&K LoP said, “We don’t know what kind of resolution will be brought here today, but we have fully supported the resolution by the CM during the all-party meeting… If they bring such a kind of resolution here also, we would be very happy.”
Meanwhile, Awami Ittehad Party leader Khurshid Ahmad Sheikh called for talks with Pakistan on the issue and a memorial to be built for the pony handler Adil, who sacrificed his life fighting the terrorists.
“We also say that there should be talks (with Pakistan). The solution will come only through talks… unless you talk, people will keep dying… we have not only condemned the attack but we have also protested against it. Not only will it be condemned in the House, but we hope that a memorial should be built in memory of those killed, and we also said that a bravery award should be named after Adil. There should not be collective punishment; it is not the solution to any issue,” Sheikh said.
AAP MLA Mehraaj Malik also stated that India should not be fighting a water war with Pakistan, but give them a proper answer for the attack.
“The whole world is condemning and mourning the attack. It is necessary to discuss the incident here in the assembly today. The country stands united today… First, we need to give an answer to Pakistan, then there will be scope for talks… We will not give them an answer through talks, we have to show them our strength… Indus water cannot be stored for more than 3-4 days without affecting our population. We do not need to fight this water war with them… Why do we have such a large army and such a substantial amount of ammunition? For what? We have to give them an answer once… If we don’t give them an answer now, Pakistan will repeat such an incident after four months,” Malik said.
The attack is one of the deadliest attacks in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.
Following the Pahalgam terror attack, India has taken strong measures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism. (ANI)
