'Parties Vowing To Restore Article 370 Also Responsible': BJP Leader on Terrorist Attacks in Kashmir

New Delhi: After terrorists attacked two spots in Kashmir just two days ahead of Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla., Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kavinder Gupta claimed that an attempt is being made to terrorise the voters. He said that the parties vowing to restore Article 370 are also responsible for the situation in Kashmir.

Kavinder Gupta called it unfortunate that the political parties still advocate for dialogue between New Delhi and Pakistan. “During election, an attempt is being made to terrorise people. Security forces have killed so many infiltrators from Pakistan and their supporters but when this kind of incident happens, it is very sad...the political parties who speak about Pakistan and re-implementation of Article 370...they are also somewhat responsible for this,” said Kavinder Gupta.

Jammu & Kashmir BJP spokesperson, Altaf Thakur, said that attacks are an output of Pakistan's frustration over record voter turnout in Srinagar.  “It's a sad thing that tourists are being attacked and one party worker of the BJP, Aijaz Ahmad being killed. It's an output of the frustration of Pakistan and militants due to heavy voter turnout in Srinagar... Today Kashmiris want to vote and have denied terrorism. They want to take part in mainstream politics and by using the constitutional right and through democracy they want to establish their representative,” said Altaf Thakur. 

"I think the administration is also responsible for this incident. A few days back the BJP wrote to the DC that he (Aijaz Ahmad) had a threat and asked the administration to provide him the accommodation, but the DC hasn't taken it seriously. I think the DC is responsible for the killing of Aijaz Saheb. Today, we will hold a protest for the same in Srinagar. The day after tomorrow, we will do 'gherao' of the DC office and seek answers from him..." he added. 

The areas in Anantnag and Shopian have been cordoned off and search operations have been launched to nab the attackers,

What Happened in Kashmir

Terrorists struck at two places in Kashmir on Saturday night, killing a former sarpanch in Shopian and injuring a tourist couple from Rajasthan in Anantnag.

The first attack took place on an open tourist camp near Pahalgam and the second on the former sarpanch at Hirpora in south Kashmir. "Terrorists fired upon and injured a woman, Farha, a resident of Jaipur (in Rajasthan) and her spouse Tabrez at Yannar in Anantnag. The injured were evacuated to a hospital for treatment. The area has been cordoned off. Further details shall follow," the Kashmir Zone Police posted on X.

In another attack, within half-an-hour, terrorists shot dead former sarpanch Aijaz Sheikh in Shopian's Hirpora around 10.30 pm. Sheikh, who was associated with the BJP, was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries, said the Police.

Record Voting in Srinagar

The terrorist attack happened just two days ahead of the voting in 5th phase of Lok Sabha polls. This is the first elections being held in Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370. The Srinagar constituency witnessed 37.93 per cent voting in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which the Election Commission (EC) called the "highest turnout in decades".

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the record-voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections is the greatest testament to the success of the abrogation of Article 370. “I would like to tell those who raise questions on the abrogation of Article 370 that the rise in the voter turnout from 14 percent in the past to nearly 40 percent (37.99 percent) in Srinagar is the greatest testament to the success of the decision,” said Amit Shah.