Ultras change strategies, we must thwart conspiracy: NC's Bashir on Kishtwar attack

Jammu, Nov 8 (IANS) A day after two Village Defence Committee (VDC) members were kidnapped and killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)'s Kishtwar district, National Conference (NC) leader Sheikh Bashir on Friday said a major conspiracy was underway. 

An offshoot of the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist organisation called the 'Kashmir Tigers' claimed responsibility for the attack in Kishtwar district. The terror group also shared images of the victims' bodies with their eyes blindfolded.

Talking to IANS, Sheikh Bashir said, "There is a major conspiracy which is happening in J&K. You may remember that about five months ago, incidents occurred in areas like Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua, Doda, and Kishtwar, where members of the Village Defence Committees (VDC) were attacked. A similar incident also took place in Basantgarh."

"This is a very serious matter. These terrorists keep changing their strategies, and we need to stay alert. NC President Farooq Abdullah and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have condemned this incident. I believe there is a major conspiracy going on here. With an elected government now established, there seems to be a plot to destabilise J&K. We must be prepared to confront such challenges," he concluded.

Earlier on November 2, NC President Abdullah alleged that the terrorist attack in Budgam was a conspiracy to overthrow the current J&K government. On November 1, two labourers from Uttar Pradesh were shot at by terrorists in Budgam district.

The NC President said that the terrorists involved in the act should not be killed but rather questioned as to who was behind the attack.

There has been a rise in the number of terrorist attacks after the NC-Congress alliance came to power in J&K.

On November 3, as many as 12 people, including one woman, were injured in a grenade attack at the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) and weekly market in J&K's Srinagar.

On October 29, the security forces neutralised three terrorists in a high-stakes encounter in Akhnoor, J&K, following an attack on an Army convoy.

On October 20, a doctor and six construction workers were killed when terrorists attacked a tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in the Ganderbal district.

--IANS

jk/rad