Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday called for caution to be exercised as security forces search for the perpetrators of the April 22 Pahalgam attack, so that “innocent people are not caught up in this”. “We all understand the situation. It will take some time. We cannot shut our eyes to it. However, in the effort to catch those responsible for Pahalgam, it should also be ensured that innocent people are not caught up in this. It should not appear that in order to catch a few, the people of all of J&K are implicated,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar. The terror attack in Pahalgam left 25 tourists and a local dead. Regarding the recent claims of detentions in several parts of the Valley, Abdullah said there was a need to remain “prudent” in dealing with the aftermath of the attack and added that “we have conveyed this (to the Centre)”. The J&K Chief Minister had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on May 3. Mentioning the alleged “custodial killing” of Tangmarg resident Imtiaz Ahmad Magray, whose body was recovered from a stream in Kulgam, Abdullah said it “should not have happened”. He said that there were reports of detentions from across Kashmir and that it “should not seem like collective punishment is being meted out to the people of Kashmir in the effort to catch the perpetrators of Pahalgam. People of Kashmir have, for the first time, come out and condemned the killings in Pahalgam”. The ruling National Conference, as well as the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party, have sought an investigation into the circumstances of Magray’s death.
