NEW DELHI: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday strongly denounced the terrorist attack in Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, labeling it as a “cowardly and unforgivable crime.”
In an X post, the Congress leader expressed condolences to the bereaved families and affirmed that such acts of violence would not undermine the resolve to build a peaceful and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir.
“The killing of many people including a doctor and migrant labourers in the terrorist attack in Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir is a very cowardly and unforgivable crime. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Rahul said.
“This audacity of terrorists will never be able to break the order of construction in Jammu and Kashmir and the faith of the people. The whole country is united in this fight against terrorism.” he added.
The attack, which took place on Sunday evening, involved suspected Pakistani terrorists firing upon a camp of private construction workers, resulting in the deaths of six laborers and one doctor, including Dr Shahnawaz from Budgam, Gurmeet Singh from Punjab’s Gurdaspur, Inder Yadav from Bihar, and several others from Jammu and Kashmir. Reports suggest that many others were injured, making it the most significant targeted attack on construction workers in over three decades of violence in the region.
Union minister Amit Shah addressed the issue during his speech on Police Commemoration Day, assuring that the sacrifices of police personnel will not be forgotten.
“We (our security forces) have been able to control terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir over the past decade, but the battle is not finished. We are committed to completely eliminating terrorism, drug trafficking, and other anti-India activities,” Shah said.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and representative of the Ganderbal assembly constituency, expressed his grief over the attack in an X post, describing it as a “dastardly and cowardly attack on non-local laborers.”
The Ganderbal attack marks a disturbing continuation of violence targeting civilians, reminiscent of a previous incident on June 9 when terrorists targeted a bus carrying pilgrims in the Reasi district, resulting in the deaths of seven pilgrims, the driver, and the conductor, as well as injuries to 41 others.