Farooq Abdullah, president of the National Conference and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has issued his first public statement following the attempt on his life, describing the moment with a composure that belied the gravity of what had unfolded around him.
“I was walking out of the venue, when I heard the sound of a firecracker. Immediately, I was rushed into a car. Later, I was told that there was a man with a pistol who had fired two shots. Neither do I know this man (the accused), nor do I have any information about him,” Abdullah said.
The attack occurred on Wednesday night as Abdullah was departing a wedding function in Jammu. Officials said a gunman approached from behind and opened fire. The assailant was overpowered and taken into custody by security personnel at the scene. Abdullah escaped without injury.
A Z-Category Protectee, Yet the Gunman Got Through
What has unsettled Abdullah’s party colleagues as much as the attack itself is the question of how it was possible at all. Abdullah holds Z-category security cover under the central protection list — a designation that places him among the most heavily guarded public figures in the country, ranking above Y, Y-plus, and X categories, and below only Z-plus and Z-plus with advanced security liaison.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Nasir Aslam Wani, advisor to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, were present at the function when the incident took place. So were cabinet ministers, several Members of the Legislative Assembly, and numerous party leaders.
“Despite such heavy security, how did this person manage to reach there with a gun? It is a security lapse,” said Tejinder Pal Singh Aman, Jammu president of the Youth National Conference. “This happened despite the presence of a sitting deputy chief minister, a political advisor to the honorable chief minister, cabinet ministers, several MLAs and many leaders. We condemn this incident and want the truth to come out as soon as possible.”
National Conference Demands Probe and Security Overhaul
Senior National Conference leaders moved swiftly to condemn the attack and demand accountability. Party leaders called for a thorough investigation into how the assailant was able to close in on a former chief minister at a public function, and pressed for an immediate enhancement of Abdullah’s security arrangements.
“Just thank God that our Sahib is safe and fine. It was indeed a serious incident. It is a big security lapse. It cannot be taken lightly. There should be a thorough investigation by police,” said Rattan Lal Gupta, Jammu president of the National Conference, who also called for an immediate audit of Abdullah’s security cover.
National Conference MLA Ajaz Ahmed Jan echoed those concerns, describing the breach as alarming. “Farooq Abdullah is absolutely fine. It is a security breach… A probe should be conducted,” he said, stressing that it was deeply troubling that a person had managed to bring a firearm inside the function venue at all.
A Pointed Political Warning
Beyond the immediate security questions, some in the party used the incident to make a broader political point about the state of safety in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
“Earlier, it was said that after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, Jammu and Kashmir would be completely safe. Earlier, leaders had to protect themselves from militants, but now shots are being fired at the leaders of Jammu and Kashmir in broad daylight,” Aman said, warning that such incidents posed a serious threat to the region’s political leadership.
His remarks signal that the attack is unlikely to remain a matter of security administration alone — it has already acquired a political dimension that the Jammu and Kashmir government will need to address with both urgency and credibility.
