Am Greatly Alarmed By Targeted Killings in J&K, Hurt By Rana & Slathia's Resignation: Omar Abdullah

A former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir has said he is “very greatly alarmed” by the targeted killing of seven civilians in the Kashmir Valley over the last ten days. But Omar Abdullah does not believe this is an attempt by Islamist terrorists at ethnic cleansing of the Valley. However, he says that the targeted killing of minority civilians suggests the government either ignored intelligence inputs, which for several months have suggested such killings could happen, or, more possibly, failed to act adequately. The latter, he agreed, clearly suggests incompetence by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration in Srinagar. Separately, speaking about the resignations of Devinder Singh Rana and Surjit Singh Slathia, Omar Abdullah unhesitatingly and clearly said this had personally upset and shaken him. With his emotions visible on his face, he said he had repeatedly defended Devinder Singh Rana against other party colleagues who were claiming for weeks that he would leave the party. Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month.    / @thewirenews