Agencies
Srinagar, March 30:
Sparking a fresh row, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday raised doubt over the killing of 40 CRPF jawans in terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama last month.
Speaking to media, the NC leader said, “Kitne sipahi Hindustan ke shaheed huye Chhattisgarh mein? Kya kabhi Modi ji vahan gaye unpe phool chadhane ke liye?……..magar vo 40 log CRPF ke shaheed ho gaye, uska bhi mujhe shak hai. (How many Indian jawans were martyred in Chhattisgarh? Did PM Modi went there to pay floral tribute to those martyrs…. 40 personnel of CRPF were martyred, I have doubt about it).”
As many as 40 CRPF jawans were killed after a Pakistan-based terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into their convoy in Pulwama district on February 14. Days after this attack, India Air Force (IAF) carried out the air strike on terrorist training camps in Pakistan’s Balakot on February 26.
Earlier this month, the NC leader had said that the aerial attack was carried out to “rebuild Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image.
“I know one thing when I was in Parliament in last days…The PM and its government’s image was dropping down rapidly because of unemployment, poor condition of industries, farmers distress, Demonetisation had also badly affected country and all this was going against him …. so there one thing simmering in Parliament that he will do something, a small minor attack on Pakistan to prove that he means business and see this has happened,” he had said.
Abdullah had also said that the air strike was conducted with an eye on elections. “We always knew that there would be a fight or a skirmish with Pakistan. This surgical strike (airstrike) was done as elections are approaching. We lost an aircraft worth crores. Be thankful that the pilot (IAF) survived and returned from Pakistan with respect,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
