Doors of hell await perpetrators of Pahalgam massacre: Farooq Abdullah

Anantnag, May 3: National Conference (NC) President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said that those responsible for the Pahalgam massacre would "rot in hell" and that the tourists have given a message that they are not afraid of terrorists.

"Whoever committed this heinous act has murdered humanity. The doors of hell are open for them-there is no place in heaven for such people," Abdullah told reporters. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister visited the home of Adil Hussain Shah, a pony ride operator who was among the 26 people killed in the April 22 Baisran- Pahalgam attack.

Abdullah handed over a one-month salary to Shah's family as a gesture of support on behalf of local MLA Altaf Kaloo who also accompanied him. "He ( Adil) sacrificed his life. He was not afraid of the guns of the beasts. That is humaninity -insaniyat-and that is Kashmiriyat. Those who live in fear are already dead," he.

NC President urged the people of J&K to stand united against terrorism. "We must fight these terrorists with courage. Without confronting them, we will never see peace or progress," he said.

The NC leader also called for a review of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)."We have been saying for years that the IWT needs to be revisited. The rivers flow through our land, yet we suffer water shortages," he said, specifically pointing to the challenges in diverting water from the Chenab River to Jammu.

"We tried to bring water from Chenab, but the World Bank didn’t support it, citing the treaty. This is our water too-not just Pakistan’s," he added.

Later, Abdullah visited Pahalgam and interacted with tourists, praising their resilience in the aftermath of the attack. "The biggest message today is that tourists are not afraid. The terrorists who tried to spread fear have failed," he told reporters.

"Kashmir was and will always remain a part of India. People here want terrorism to end. It has been 35 years-we want progress. We want to move forward and become a superpower one day,"NC President said.