Congress criticises centre over recent incidents

Anantnag, May 21: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Tariq Hameed Karra on Wednesday criticised the central government over some recent incidents.

He was addressing  a “Jai Hind” Yatra in Anantnag district. He alleged that centre failed to enhance security at Baisaran meadow in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam, despite reported intelligence about a potential terrorist attack ahead of the April 22 incident.

“We are hearing that there was intelligence about an attack three days before the incident. Why did not the government step up security? How did terrorists reach there when the government claims militancy has ended and everything is peaceful,” Karra said. He  also questioned why Baisaran, a popular tourist destination, was not secured like other tourist spots in Kashmir. “ The security forces are deployed in large numbers in the places where the tourist influx is huge, why was not the same done at Baisaran?,” he asked.

The JKPCC chief further criticised the BJP-led central government for what he described as third-party intervention in the recent ceasefire with Pakistan. “A tweet comes from America (President Donald Trump) announcing a ceasefire, and it is accepted here. The issues between India and Pakistan are bilateral — be it war or trade. There is no scope for third-party intervention,” he said.

Karra also raised questions about External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement that India had informed Pakistan beforehand about missile strikes targeting terror infrastructure.

“Are wars fought like this? Do you give advance notice?” he asked, reiterating concerns over the government’s handling of the Pahalgam attack and the May 10 ceasefire.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and General Secretary G A Mir blamed the BJP government for a recent decline in tourism in Kashmir.

“A single incident hit our economy and brought tourism to a halt and . That is why our ancestors had given Jammu and Kashmir protection under Article 370,” he said, urging the government to immediately restore statehood and special status for lasting peace. He hailed the people of J&K for standing tall against the inhuman terror attack in Pahalgam.

Meanwhile, former MLA from Devsar, Mohammad Amin Bhat, returned to the Congress just three days after resigning from the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), led by Ghulam Nabi Azad. Bhat elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on a Congress ticket in 2014, had left the party to join the DPAP but exited Azad’s party on Sunday.