Assassination attempt on Farooq Abdullah: Assailant apprehended after firing shot

SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on Wednesday night. The incident occurred as he was leaving a wedding function in the Greater Kailash area of Jammu.

The attacker, identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal, a man in his 70s, reportedly approached the leader at point-blank range and fired a shot from a loaded pistol. Security personnel, including Farooq Abdullah’s close protection team, intervened immediately, deflecting the shot and overpowering the assailant before he could cause further harm.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah confirmed the incident on social media, expressing relief that his father and the accompanying officials—including Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and advisor Nasir Aslam Wani—remained unharmed.

"Allah is kind. My father had a very close shave," the Chief Minister wrote on X. He also voiced serious concerns regarding the apparent security breach, questioning how an individual was able to gain such proximity to a former Chief Minister who is under Z+ category protection provided by the National Security Guard (NSG).

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have taken the accused into custody. Preliminary reports from authorities indicate that the suspect was allegedly inebriated at the time of the incident and was using a licensed weapon. While officials have stated there is no immediate "terror angle" to the attack, the incident has sparked widespread alarm and calls for a thorough investigation into the lapse in security arrangements.