Murder of BJP leader a callous act: Farooq Abdullah

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah decried the killing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shabir Ahmed in the valley.

Bhat, 26, who was the BJP constituency president was in his home when unidentified terrorists shot him dead in the wee hours of Wednesday.

"This is such a disgraceful incident. There will be a difference in ideologies and opinions but killing somebody is not an option. In a democratic country like India everyone has the right to have a difference of opinion," he said.

The veteran politician launched a belligerent attack on the extremists, who are reportedly behind the killing of the BJP activist. "They are vilifying the country with their actions. The country can't go forward like this. There will no progress whatsoever if such acts are carried out. The terrorists will not achieve anything from this," he added.

The former Chief Minister was also heckled during Eid prayers at a mosque in Srinagar, just two days after he had chanted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' during a prayer meeting held for the former prime minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

According to reports, a group of youths hurled shoes at Abdullah and disrupted the congregation. The veteran politician, however, remained unfazed over the heckling and said he would continue to chant and will never afraid of doing such.

"I am not at all afraid. I will continue doing what I did that day. Do they think they will get Azadi by achieving all these? Then let me say, get freedom from poverty, diseases, and hunger first," the veteran politician told reporters.

Rallying behind the re-establishment of bilateral ties between India and Pakistan, Abdullah stated, "Today, the time has come to have a peaceful dialogue between India and Pakistan. There is a need to get rid of hatred. This country belongs to Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians and all those who live here.