AAP claims 12 'retired terrorists' in BJP; BJP hits back with one name

SRINAGAR: A day after AAP released a list of BJP representatives in Kashmir who it alleged were former terrorists trained in Pakistan, the BJP hit back with its own list, naming an AAP representative who allegedly was involved in a terror case. While the BJP cited only one AAP name, accusing him of past involvement in terrorism, AAP’s longer list rattled BJP.

“How does Aam Aadmi Party justify giving a ticket in Devsar (Kulgam) to Sheikh Fida Hussain, a person with police records linking him to terrorist activities? He was arrested in a terror case, spent over a year in jail under Tada,” BJP J&K spokesperson Manzoor Ahmad Bhat claimed, adding that Hussain lost badly in the 2024 election

Another BJP J&K spokesperson, Altaf Thakur, didn’t refute the AAP list. He told TOI that they are not going to take any action against any party member as of now. “These people have worked in Ikhwan as well and have remained counter-insurgents after surrender. That aspect has to be seen also,” he said.

“AAP has once again exposed its pro-Khalistan mindset. Its Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, instead of focusing on his medical visit, rushed to meet a known pro-Khalistan British MP, Preet Gill, in the UK. This is not a coincidence it is a continuation of AAP’s dangerous flirtation with separatist forces,” Bhat alleged. “From giving tickets to terrorist-linked candidates in Kashmir to rubbing shoulders with Khalistan sympathisers abroad, AAP has proved it stands with anti-India elements rather than with the nation,” Bhat claimed.

However, it is AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh's long list of BJP politicians, whom he alleged were “retired terrorists”, that has worried the party. On Friday, Singh named a number of BJP members who were former militants, including “Abdul Rehman Lone”, “Fayaz Ahmed Nazar”, “Abdul Rahman Tikri”, “Abdul Majeed Mir”, “Ghulam Mohiuddin Sufi”, “Javed Ahmed Mir”, “Zahoor Ahmed Sheikh”, “Gulzar Ahmad Malik”, “Farooq Ahmed Khan”, “Mohammad Ashraf Hajam”, “Talib Hussain Shah”.

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