Omar Abdullah says 'not enough said about Kashmiris killed in Pak shelling'

 Speaking to India Today TV, Omar Abdullah expressed disappointment at what he termed a "lack of national attention" to the deaths of citizens of Jammu and Kashmir caused by Pakistan's cross-border shelling.

Omar Abdullah questioned the muted national response to deaths of people in Jammu and Kashmir.

IT, New Delhi, May 13, 2025 : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday criticised what he termed "selective outrage" in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, pointing to a lack of national attention to civilian casualties caused by Pakistan's cross-border shelling in the region.

Speaking exclusively to India Today TV, Abdullah said while the nation rightly mourned the killing of 26 tourists in the Pahalgam attack, the lives lost in Jammu and Kashmir due to cross-border shelling were being largely ignored.

"While there was a spontaneous expression of anger about what happened in Pahalgam to those 26 innocent civilians, there is also a simmering disappointment that not enough is being said about Kashmiris who died in Pakistan's cross-border shelling," Abdullah said.

The Chief Minister noted that civilian and military casualties had occurred across districts, cutting across religious lines. "We've lost people in Rajouri, in Poonch, in Uri, in Baramulla. We've lost Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs. We've lost civilians and Army personnel. If gurdwaras and temples came in the range of shelling, so did madrasas in Poonch," he said.

Furthermore, Omar Abdullah questioned the muted national response to these deaths, saying the loss of innocent lives in Jammu and Kashmir had been reduced to mere "lip service".

"It's almost as if that didn't happen," Abdullah said.

The Chief Minister also pointed out that only half the story about Pahalgam and the aftermath of India's retaliation is being told. "The story of Pahalgam is being told, but what about the twins who were killed in the Poonch shelling, what about the lady who died in Kashmir, what about my additional district development commissioner who died in his home in Ramban. These stories, unfortunately, are not being told," he added.

The Chief Minister was referring to 12-year-old twins Zoya and Ayan Khan, who were killed after a mortar shell fired from across the border struck their rented home in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district last week. Their aunt and uncle were also killed in the attack.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that India would retaliate strongly against any future terror strikes, Abdullah offered his support, stating, "I think every Indian who believes in their country and believes that their country has a right to a peaceful existence would support this"