Pahalgam accused should be punished, killed in PoK, says kin

SRINAGAR: As the name of local Lashkar terrorist Farooq Ahmed Tadwa, who is in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has cropped up during investigation into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, his house was demolished in Kupwara in north Kashmir.

Farooq’s nephew has said if his uncle is linked to the terror attack, he should be punished and killed in PoK and that if India wants to end terrorism, it should destroy Pakistan.

According to sources, the over ground workers (OGW) network of Farooq, who is an LeT commander based in PoK, has provided logistic and other support to Pahalgam attackers. “He had facilitated infiltration of the two Pakistani terrorists involved in the attack, besides luring youth to terrorism,” said a source linked to the probe.

After Farooq’s name cropped up during investigation, security forces on Saturday demolished his house at Kalaroos area of Kupwara. Security agencies have demolished houses of nine local terrorists after the Pahalgam massacre.

Farooq’s nephew Zakir said his uncle had exfiltrated to PoK in 1990 and has been living there since then. “I was born in 2000. If my uncle has committed any wrong, he should not be spared and the army should go and kill him there (PoK),” he said.

“If the agencies are saying that he is involved, then he should be punished there. We should not be targeted,” Zakir said. “We are patriotic people. We work as labourers and work with the army (as porters),” he added.

Zakir said he wants to tell the government that it is time to destroy Pakistan. “Crush them and if they are crushed, there will be peace here and there will be no violence here. We will leave in peace and so will the country,” he said.

“If India wants to get rid of terrorism, then India should destroy Pakistan,” he added.

Meanwhile, amid the crackdown on terrorists and their sympathisers in the Valley, police has asked people to disassociate themselves from Hurriyat leader and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq’s J&K Awami Action Committee and Shia leader Masroor Abbas Ansari’s J&K Itteehad-ul-Muslimeen, or face action, announcing the government has banned the outfits.