Omar Abdullah condemns blast; says solution lies in talks only

Stressing that the solution to the problem lay in talks alone, he said, “The ray of hope, which had emerged from the unilateral ceasefire by Hizbul Mujahideen, had increased the hopes of the Kashmiris that peace was round the corner.”

Omar, who represents Srinagar constituency, said, “The people of Kashmir should understand the gameplan of Pakistan, which only had destruction in store.”

Condemnation of the terrorists has come from several other quarters also. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Arun Jaitley, condemning the car-blast, condoled the death of innocent persons and expressed grief over those injured in the blast.

The main Opposition Party in the Lok Sabha, the Congress, denouncing the terrorist act, urged the Government to take adequate precautionary steps to protect the lives of innocent people in Jammu and Kashmir.

Expressing deep sorrow and regret over the loss of innocent lives, party spokesperson Margaret Alva said it seems there was a planned conspiracy behind the series of blasts.

She said if the Government failed to prevent these blasts there were greater possibility of escalation of violence in the militancy-hit state.

Expressing sympathy to the families of those killed, BJP spokesman Venkaiah Naidu told reporters that Pakistan’s assertion that it was committed to liberation of Jammu and Kashmir only established the fact that it was aiding and abetting terrorism in India.

“These actions of Pakistan clearly showed that it was openly supporting militants in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

At least 12 security personnel were feared killed and several others including some media persons were injured in a massive car-bomb blast that rocked Srinagar today.