Pakistan not to be blamed for fidayeen attack: Farooq

Srinagar, May 22 (UNI) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has said that Pakistan should not be blamed for yesterday's fidayeen attack on the Congress rally here in which seven people were killed and 30 injured.

''Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf himself was facing a threat to his life. Therefore, we should not blame them (Pakistan) for the attack,'' Mr Farooq said.

He said the Pakistan government had time and again said that all the training camps had been closed and aid to militants stopped.

''We should believe them as Pakistan President himself survived a number of attacks on his life by militants,'' he said, adding ''we should be more careful while issuing any statement on the attack by militants here.'' However, the former Chief Minister said there were people in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) who were helping the militants.

Dr Abdullah said there were hundreds of militants within Jammu and Kashmir who could operate anytime anywhere.

Agreeing that it was a security lapse, he said security and police personnel should be more vigilant to avoid such incidents.

Without naming anyone, he said, ''Some people claimed that situation in the Kashmir valley has become normal. We should not go by the statement but the situation on the ground,'' he said.

On the two-day Round Table conference here from May 24 which is being chaired Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Dr Farooq said, ''We should not succumb to such militant attacks and hold the conference as per schedule.'' The conference provided a golden opportunity to separatists to put fourth their viewpoint on the Kashmir issue before the Prime Minister, Dr Abdullah said. ''They (separatists) should grab the opportunity and take part in the conference without succuming to fidayeen threats issued by four militant outfits.'' About the fidayeen attack on the Congress rally, he said, it was a desperate attempt to derail the process which has generated a ray of hope among the people of the state that the Kashmir issue would be resolved amicably without any further bloodshed.

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