Yesterday security forces in Kashmir had gunned down dreaded Hizbul terrorist Mannan Wani. According to reports, in an anti-terrorist operation by security forces, two Hizbul terrorists were gunned down in Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir. One of the slain terrorists was identified as Mannan Wani, the former PhD scholar from Aligarh Muslim University who had joined Hizbul Mujahideen.
Gautam Gambhir, Indian cricketer took to Twitter to express his angst against politicians. He tweeted that we managed to kill a terrorist but lost a ‘radicalised talent’. He then tagged all parties and politicians who have been governing the state of Kashmir. He said that Mehbooba Mufli, Omar Abdullah, the Congress and the BJP should be ashamed of themselves that they allowed a man to turn from books to guns.
https://twitter.com/GautamGambhir/status/1050756444931444737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
To this, Omar Abdullah lashed out at Gambhir with a bizarre rhetoric. He said that Gambhir wouldn’t be able to find Mannan Wani’s home district on a map. He said that Gambhir ‘presuming to know’ what drives young men to pick up the weapon in Kashmir is like Omar talking about cricket.
https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/1050757890645090304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Gambhir then said that it is Omar Abdullah who is hell-bent on changing the map of Kashmir and that he should explain what he and his fellow politicians have done to engage the youth of Kashmir.
https://twitter.com/GautamGambhir/status/1050767617517150209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Omar Abdullah proceeded to toe the usual line and talk about how he doesn’t need a ‘lecture in nationalism’. To which, Gautam Gambhir too retorted sharply.
https://twitter.com/GautamGambhir/status/1050784293054758912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In this bizarre exchange of words between Gautam Gambhir and Omar Abdullah, the glaring fact is that Gambhir, just as any citizen asked a legitimate question as to what the politicians were doing when young men seem to turn themselves into terrorists. In Omar’s bizarre reaction, he didn’t engage with Gambhir on facts but brought in the usual “don’t teach us nationalism” rhetoric.
One only hopes that there will come a time when politicians respond to questions with facts, and not rhetoric.