Man arrested after attempt on life of former occupied Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah

An individual was arrested after an attempt on the life of senior Kashmiri politician Farooq Abdullah, Indian media reported on Thursday.

Abdullah, a former chief minister of India-occupied Kashmir, was at a wedding ceremony in occupied Jammu’s Greater Kailash area when the attacker brandished a pistol and tried to approach the politician, The Hindu reported, citing initial reports.

The suspect was overpowered by the security personnel guarding Abdullah, president of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) party and father of CM Omar Abdullah.

“Eyewitnesses said he opened fire. However, the police have not confirmed it,” stated The Hindu.

Occupied Kashmir’s Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary and adviser to CM Nasir Aslam Wani were also present at the event.

The police, in a statement carried by The Hindu, said there was “an attempt made on the life of Dr Farooq Abdullah when he was attending a marriage ceremony at Royal Park, Greater Kailash”.

“The security personnel of J&K Police and NSG (National Security Guard), who were deployed with the protectee, immediately swung into action and thwarted the attempt,” the statement added.

In a post late on Wednesday, Omar said, “My father had a very close shave. The details are sketchy at the moment but what is known is that a man with a loaded pistol was able to get within point-blank range & discharge a shot.”

“It was only the close protection team that deflected the shot & ensured that the assassination attempt failed,” Abdullah’s son added.

He questioned how “someone was able to get this close to a Z+ NSG-protected former CM”.

Omar shared a video of Abdullah walking along with others in a hall when a man coming from behind takes what seems to be a gun out of his pocket and points it towards Abdullah, with guards promptly tackling him.

The suspect taken into custody was identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal, a resident of Purani Mandi in Jammu, The Hindu said.

“The firearm, used in the crime, has also been recovered from the possession of the accused,” the statement was quoted as saying.

Hindustan Times, quoting officials, said the attacker was a 63-year-old man who reportedly told police he had been planning to kill Abdullah for nearly two decades.

“I wanted to kill Farooq Abdullah for the past 20 years. It was my personal agenda. The weapon is my own, issued to me,” officials quoted Jamwal as saying, adding that he considered himself “lucky to survive”.

Further investigation was under way.

Reacting to the incident, former CM Mehbooba Mufti said on X: “Shocked to hear about the grave attack on Dr Farooq Abdullah sahab. Relieved to know that he’s safe and doing well.

“Hope police gets to the bottom of this very perturbing security lapse,” she added.