Farooq Abdullah Welcomes Killing of Pahalgam Attackers

SRINAGAR: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said that the neutralisation of those behind the Pahalgam massacre is a clear reminder that militancy cannot achieve its objectives.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Srinagar, Farooq said, “I don’t know who they were, but if they have been killed, it is a welcome step. This should be a lesson to them and others that terrorism will never succeed.”

His statement followed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement in the Lok Sabha that three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants involved in the April Pahalgam attack were killed in a joint Army, CRPF, and Jammu and Kashmir Police operation near Srinagar on Monday under Operation Mahadev.

Shah identified the slain militants as Suleman alias Faizal, a top Lashkar commander, Afghani, another senior LeT militant, and Jibran, all of whom were responsible for the Baisaran Valley killings on April 22, which claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. The massacre had triggered Operation Sindoor on May 7, aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure across the border.