Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], April 28 : Sunil Sharma, Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, gave a piece of advice to Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hameed Karra, following his reported statement that India should hold talks with Pakistan. Sharma said that such a "senior leader should speak carefully."
After the conclusion of a one-day special session of the J&K Assembly over the Pahalgam terror attack, Sharma told ANI, "It is good that the Assembly unanimously passed a resolution regarding it today..."
On Tariq Hameed Karra's reported statement, Sharma said, "To repeatedly keep saying that India should talk to Pakistan is not good... Such a senior leader should speak carefully to avoid making u-turns later and also find out what his party's senior leaders say."
However, Karra later clarified his remarks. Speaking to the media, Karra condemned the Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people.
"We have condemned it in the strongest possible words. No ifs and buts in it, whatever Rahul Gandhi has said, the entire nation is with that and the entire nation is with the government," the Congress leader said.
When asked whether he supports holding talks with Pakistan, Karra replied, "No, I don't."
Tariq Hameed Karra further said that the Congress party supports whatever the Government of India feels is appropriate. "I have not said anything regrettable. This is simply a misinterpretation of things. Whatever I said is a reiteration of our leader, Rahul Gandhi. We said that wars have always brought devastation to both countries. I did not say anything about dialogue. I reiterate that whatever the Government of India feels fit, the Congress party is with that, and we are in unison with the issue," Karra said.
Earlier today, the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam during a special session.
The resolution was moved by Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, who strongly condemned the terror attack at the start of the session, following opening remarks by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather.
The resolution described the attack as an assault on the values of "Kashmiriyat," the Constitution, and the spirit of unity, peace, and harmony in Jammu and Kashmir. It also expressed full solidarity with the victims and their families, offering condolences to those affected.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that he would not demand statehood for Jammu and Kashmir in the name of the 26 people who died in the attack, stating that his politics was not "so cheap."
He added that he would continue to demand statehood for the region but not at a time when the country is mourning the loss of so many lives.