india

Updated: Jul 22, 2019 00:39 IST

Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday took flak after he asked militants to kill “those who have robbed Kashmir’s wealth” instead of killing police guards.

“…These boys [militants] with guns are killing their own people for no reason. They kill PSOs [personal security officers], SPOs [special police officers]. Why are you killing them? Kill those who robbed your country, those who robbed the whole wealth of Kashmir. Have you ever killed anyone of those?” Malik asked at a function in Kargil.

Malik’s comments came days after suspected militants shot dead Farooq Ahmad Reshi, a PSO of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Sajjad Mufti in Anantnag on Friday.

Malik said that militants were losing their lives for no reason. “Nothing will happen out of this. Nothing will be achieved by the gun because nobody can bend a government with a gun in India. In Sri Lanka, an organisation like the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam], the most powerful terrorist organisation in the world, was just finished.” Malik accused politicians of doublespeak without naming anyone. “And these politicians spread fear in Delhi and provoke them here.”

Malik said there were just 250 militants and referred to them as kids. He added half of them were from Pakistan. “Just around 250 of these kids have remained. 100-125 are from Pakistan. In an encounter, they take two days to die while these [who are locals] take two hours because they have neither training nor good weapons.” Malik said that they should work for the development of Kashmir rather than dying for no reason.

National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah hit out at Malik saying an ostensibly responsible man occupying a constitutional position was telling militants to kill politicians perceived to be corrupt. “Perhaps the man [Malik] should find out about his own reputation in Delhi these days before sanctioning unlawful killings and kangaroo courts,’’ he said.

PDP spokesman Rafi Mir said the law is there to deal with corruption or any antisocial activity. “He/she can be dealt with under the law. The governor cannot tell people to kill those who are wrong. There are institutions for that. There are Lokpal and other institutions. I do not think the governor was right,’’ he said.

Congress leader G N Monga said if anybody is corrupt of whatever party, there should be action as per the law. “But that does not mean the governor will justify the killing of people. Does it mean they should kill political leaders here? If there are killings, then that will be at his behest. He has no concern for the post he is holding and is acting more like a politician than a governor.” He said it is not a healthy sign for the state.

Political analyst Noor Ahmad Baba said Malik has used dangerous language unsuitable for a responsible person holding a constitutional position. “He could have simply told them to give up arms and not to kill policemen. Corruption has to be dealt with by legal means.”