Security remains fragile in Kashmir even after Article 370's removal: Omar

Srinagar: In the wake of continuous reports of targeted killings in Jammu & Kashmir, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said there has been no improvement in the security situation in the valley following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.

"There has been no improvement in the situation even after removing Article 370 and Article 35A," he told reporters at the Kotranka area of Rajouri district.

Targeted killings are taking place continuously, one after another. "In this week, three such killings took place. After every few weeks, this phenomenon restarts. Then it stops for some days," he added.

Asked about the fate of Article 370, Mr Abdullah said, "We will put forth our point of view before the court. We will not take the law into our hands. We are not the people who speak the language of another country."

Mr Abdullah also called for respecting the sentiments of the people in view of the loudspeaker ban and said there is a need to find a middle path to resolve the issue of noise emanating from loudspeakers.

Amid election buzz, a renewed spate of selective killings, particularly targetting minorities in the Valley, has triggered a string of protests by the Kashmiri Pandit (KP) community across J&K.

However, the protesting members of the community in distress are anguished over, what they term it as, "floppy and hypocritical stance of mainstream opposition parties, particularly in Kashmir."

The Union Home Minister has been holding a series of meetings following the targeted killing of Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir.

While several derivatives of Pakistan such as The Resistance Front and the Lashkar-e-Khalsa have claimed responsibility for the attack, the Intelligence assessment says that these are just diversionary tactics to help Pakistan get out of the grey list at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).