Owaisi seeks effective response to Pahalgam terror attack, demands probe

Speaking to reporters here, Owaisi sought an inquiry into the death of a man from Kulgam who was allegedly picked up by security forces for questioning in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday said India should give an effective response to last month's Pahalgam attack and termed the incident as barbaric and cowardly.

Speaking to reporters here, the Lok Sabha MP sought an inquiry into the death of a man from Kulgam who was allegedly picked up by security forces for questioning in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.

"It was a terror attack, a cowardly attack. The more we condemn it, the less it is. We have seen how terrorists from Pakistan killed 26 people," Owaisi told reporters.

The way people were killed by separating kids and women, and asking males about their religion, was disheartening and inhumane. "Those who couldn't recite the Kalma were fired upon. This is barbaric," he said.

Owaisi said the local residents of Kashmir are bearing the brunt of the attack as the tourism sector has taken a hit.

"The tourists have gone from here in huge numbers. We want our government to give an effective response to it. We have said the same in the all-party meeting as well," he added.

To a question about the death of 22-year-old Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray from Kulgam, Owaisi said an inquiry should be conducted to ascertain the circumstances that led to the death.

"There should be an inquiry. I have read the statements of his relatives in the media. An inquiry should be held into the circumstances of his death," the AIMIM chief said.

Residents of a village in Kulgam district found Magray's body on Sunday amid allegations that the deceased was taken away by security forces for questioning in the wake of the Pahalgam incident.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference Lok Sabha member Aga Ruhullah Mehdi and Jammu and Kashmir Minister Sakina Ittoo said there were serious allegations of foul play in the death of Magray, whose body was fished out from the Adbal stream in the Aharbal area of the district.

While Police have launched an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the death, a drone footage, which surfaced hours after Magray's body was recovered, showed a youth jumping into the gushing Adbal stream and getting washed away.

Police claimed that Magray, who confessed to being an overground worker (OGW) for terrorists, tried to escape while leading security forces to a hideout in a forest area.