Targeted killing a matter of grave concern, says DPAP chief Azad

Srinagar: Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad condemned the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit ATM guard in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday, saying it was a matter of grave concern.

“Any killing, especially a targeted killing, is a matter of grave concern and condemnable. We condemn it,” Azad told reporters here.

A 40-year-old Kashimir Pandit named Sanjay Sharma, who worked as an ATM guard, was shot in the chest at point-blank range by terrorists in the Achan area of the south Kashmir district around 11 am on Sunday, police said.

The DPAP chief said every targeted killing is condemnable, be that of a Kashmiri Pandit or a Muslim or a Sikh and whether the victim is from Jammu or Kashmir.

However, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the most unfortunate part is that while many people were arrested in connection with such incidents over the last 30 years, “not one killer has been arrested for these targeted killings in the last two years”.

Azad said while it was a reality that militancy has decreased in J-K, what is worrisome is that such target killings have been taking place for the last few months.

He said such mysterious killings pain him and he requested the government to make security agencies, intelligence agencies and law and order enforcement agencies answerable for such killings as “no one was arrested for such killings”.

The former Union minister said except the targeted killings taking place, there was “no militancy in J-K”.

“There is no hartal, there is no stone-pelting. So, there is no justification for the LG’s rule and delaying elections,” he added.

On the issue of the proposed imposition of property tax, Azad, who has earlier demanded that it be put on hold for a few years, said he was not against the imposition of the tax which will eventually benefit the people.

“We oppose its implementation here because of the economic situation. Let it be imposed after six years when the economic situation improves The state has witnessed militancy for the last 33 years, the people here are not in a position to pay such tax,” he said, adding “if need be, the party will launch an agitation against it”.