Srinagar
Former chief minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti on Friday has strongly condemned the killing of BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother in Kisthwar district yesterday.
BJP leader Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother Ajeet, 55, were returning home from their shop Thursday night when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, officials said, adding this was the first such political killing in Jammu region in recent years.
Taking to social networking site Twitter Mehbooba wrote: “Condemn killing of BJP State Sec & his brother at Kishtwar last night. In a very short span of time,deaths , this is the third incident of killing of political workers. These killings are followed by counter threats of violence to avengdeaths,which clearly is not working.”
Meanwhile, senior leader and former finance minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari has also condemned the killing of BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother in Kisthwar district yesterday.
Terming the killings of political activists as ‘ghastly and distressing’, Bukhari urged the Governor led the administration to nab the culprits of these incidents and book them under the law in a time bound manner.
“Irrespective of place and regardless of their political ideologies and affiliations, these killings are barbaric and most heinous crimes against the humanity,” he observed.
Meanwhile, Bukhari appealed the people of Jammu province especially the inhabitants of Kisthwar district to maintain communal harmony and pluralistic ethos of the state at this time of grief.
“I share the pain and sorrow of the Parihar family and extend my heartfelt condolences to kith and kin of the deceased brothers. I also appeal the people of Kishtwar to uphold the rich traditions of our brotherhood and communal amity in this hour of grief,” he remarked.
Bukhari said that the attack seems to be an attempt to create a wedge between the communities and hoped that the unity of the people across the state will defeat the nefarious designs of the perpetrators of this heinous crime.
Expressing solidarity with kith and kin of the deceased BJP leader and his brother, Bukhari prayed for endurance to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss.
