“Regret not a strong enough word…”, CM Omar on 2010 unrest – Alfaaz – The Words

Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday reflected on the events of 2010 in the Legislative Assembly, saying the killing of teenager Tufail Mattoo remains a source of profound personal remorse and continues to weigh on his conscience.

Addressing the House, Omar said regret was not a strong enough word to describe his feelings about that period. He said the circumstances surrounding the incident would stay with him for the rest of his life. He maintained that he had never attempted to suppress or conceal what happened and had consistently expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.

The Chief Minister also turned his attention to the People’s Democratic Party and questioned its response during the 2016 unrest, when the party was in power in alliance with the Centre. He said that at a time when lives were being lost, the PDP leadership had an opportunity to publicly express sympathy and appeal for restraint.

Omar said senior leaders, including the Union Home Minister, were present and the media was closely following the situation, yet no words of sympathy or regret were offered. He said even a brief acknowledgment of the suffering or an appeal to stop the violence could have made a difference.

Criticising what he described as the PDP’s failure to acknowledge mistakes, Omar said that silence might have been preferable, but the absence of any apology even years later reflected a lack of accountability. He said there had not been a single admission that errors were committed during that period.

He further said political criticism should begin with self-examination. Those questioning others, he added, must first reflect on their own record before passing judgement.