Worried over fallout, Omar prays for Gaza peace

Srinagar, Nov 22 (IANS) Worried over the possible fallout of the Gaza violence in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday hoped a truce takes effect there at the earliest.

Reacting to reports that a ceasefire was imminent in Gaza, Abdullah posted on twitter: “Let’s hope the ceasefire does come into effect in Gaza. Saner heads need to prevail and give peace another chance.

“I can now assume it’s no longer a question of ‘if’ but one of ‘when’,” he said in another comment.

Abdullah’s worry is that Israel’s offensive against the Hamas should not have an adverse fallout in Kashmir.

He fears that some forces were seeking to exploit the situation to disturb the peace in the valley.

“Some people in Srinagar are desperate to use the Palestinian suffering to make people in the valley suffer.”

The Palestine issue has always evoked strong reactions in the Kashmir Valley.

“On an emotional level, people in Kashmir cannot be expected to remain unconcerned about developments in the Muslim countries,” said a leader of Abdullah’s National Conference party.

Images of bodies of children and the elderly killed in Israeli bombing in Gaza have been uploaded by many Kashmiris on Facebook.

IANS 2012-11-22 13:00:06