CM Omar Abdullah welcomes ceasefire

Srinagar, May 10: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah welcomed the ceasefire, saying it was better late than never.

I welcome from the depths of my heart the announcement made by the Government of India spokesperson about the restoration of ceasefire between India and Pakistan,î CM Omar told reporters at his residence.ìBetter late than never but had this ceasefire come two or three days earlier, perhaps the bloodshed we saw and the precious lives we lost would have been safe,î he said.

Abdullah said it was now the duty of the J&K government to provide relief and compensation to those who have suffered during this period.

ìWe have announced compensation for the loss of precious lives. Now we will have to compensate those who have been injured as well,î he said.

The CM said there has been a lot of devastation caused by cross-border shelling and attacks in Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, Tangdhar, and other border areas.

ìNow we also hope that we can resume the Hajj flights as we were not able to send the pilgrims to Hajj due to the closure of the airport,î he said.