Srinagar, Nov 12: In the aftermath of the Delhi car blast that claimed 13 lives, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has stated that the wider Kashmiri community must not be held responsible for the actions of a “minuscule minority.”
Speaking to a national news channel, CM Abdullah condemned the attack, asserting that “no religion justifies using violence against innocent people.” He stated that those responsible, whether for political or religious purposes, “do not understand the politics or the faith they claim to represent.”
However, he emphasized that such incidents should not be used to stereotype an entire community. “The entire Jammu and Kashmir and the entire Kashmiri community is not radicalised,” he said, questioning why Kashmiri Muslims are repeatedly forced to prove their patriotism after every attack. “Stop treating all of us as suspects,” he urged.
Abdullah expressed particular concern about what he described as discriminatory orders and social reactions in other parts of the country that single out Kashmiri Muslims. He referenced directives in places like Gurgaon that asked institutions to identify Kashmiri Muslim staff, arguing that such measures effectively equate Kashmiri Muslims with “foreigners” in the public consciousness.
“Not all Kashmiri Muslims are radicalised, and certainly not all Kashmiri Muslims are supporters of terror,” he stated. “Why do we have to prove our nationality to you? Why do we have to prove our patriotism?”
He called on authorities and the media to presume the loyalty of the majority of Kashmiris unless proven otherwise and to extend the same standards of trust and courtesy afforded to people from other regions.
