Terror attack on Army camp in Jammu reverberates in J&K assembly

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Saturday saw its proceedings disrupted after Speaker Kavinder Gupta linked the terror attack on an army camp in Jammu with Rohingya refugees and an opposition National Conference legislator raised pro-Pakistan slogans in the House.

Speaker Gupta was requested to maintain the unity of the House by withdrawing his remarks on Rohingya refugees living in Jammu city. He withdrew his remarks and ordered expunging of the pro-Pakistan remarks by NC MLA Muhammad Akbar Lone.

Gupta, who earlier visited the gates of the Sunjwan army station where a terror attack took place, said in the assembly that the attack would not have been possible if Rohingya refugees had not been living in Jammu city.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri, M.Y. Tarigami of the CPI-M, Ali Muhammad Sagar of the NC and some other legislators requested the Speaker to withdraw his remarks about Rohingya refugees, saying these were premature.

Minister Veeri said, "The Speaker is the custodian of the House and he should not have made a remark that is bound to divide communities on religious lines.

"I appeal to him that a wrong message should not go from this House to the outside world."

The Speaker agreed to withdraw his remarks and also ordered removal of the remarks of Lone from the assembly's records.

Earlier, Muhammad Akbar Lone, sitting NC MLA from Sonawari assembly constituency in Bandipora district, created an embarrassing situation when he stood up and shouted pro-Pakistan slogans when the ruling BJP MLAs were raising anti-Pakistan slogans to condemn the terror attack on Sunjwan army station.

NC spokesman, Junaid Mattoo immediately went into damage control by posting on Twitter, "Hon'ble @JKNC_ President has said the NC MLA should not forget that he belongs to a party that rejected the two nation theory and he should also remember the oath he swears in the name of God at the beginning of his term. The party disowns and condemns his remarks."

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed her anguish over the terror attack saying, "Deeply disturbed by the terrorist attack in #Sunjwan today. My heart goes out to the injured and their families."

--IANS

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