Hurriyat, PDP condemn attacks

Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the All Party Hurriyat Conference, and Mehbooba Mufti, president of the People's Democratic Party, have in separate conversations with the rediff.com on phone from Srinagar have condemned the six grenade attacks in the city in which six persons have already been killed and many are battling for their lives in various hospitals.

"We in the Hurriyat Conference strongly condemn the incidents in the strongest possible terms and we demand an impartial probe so that the persons behind such incidents are exposed and punished," Mirwaiz said.

According to him there is a deep-rooted conspiracy behind such attacks to bring a bad name to the Kashmiri people who are known for their hospitality and would go out of their way to make their guests comfortable.

"How can a Kashmiri think of attacking tourists who are the backbone of their economy. Someone is trying to bring bad name to the Kashmiri people. Hurriyat is ready to cooperate with India and Pakistan to bring the truth before the people.

"What is intriguing is that everyone including India, Pakistan and the militants are condemning the incidents. The police claimed that they had busted the gang involved in grenade attacks. If that is true then who is doing the same now?" he asked.

Mehbooba Mufti said that this is one of the deadiest attacks in recent times. "This is something beyond words. Hapless tourists who have flocking the valley and giving the economy of the state a boost have been deliberately targetted by miscreants with a definite intention to scare them from visiting the state. This is not a good sign. We are worried about these developments," she said.