Kashmir leaders condemn Israeli strikes on Iran, slam global silence
Political leaders in the Kashmir Valley on Friday strongly criticised Israel for launching pre-emptive strikes on Iranian nuclear targets, voicing concern over the “silence” of global powers on the matter.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar that Iran had given Israel no provocation to justify the attack. “Israel has launched a pre-emptive strike and essentially started a war with another country,” he said.
“If the world powers remain silent on this, it will be a very unfortunate development. Today Israel has done what Russia did in Ukraine. When Russia acted, the world raised its voice in protest. There were movements against Russia,” Abdullah said.
He added, “But when Israel attacks Iran, the global powers—be it the United States, Europe, or others—fall silent. If it’s wrong for one country to attack another, it should be wrong in every case.”
The Chief Minister also warned of escalating consequences. “This situation will spiral. It has immediate repercussions on us—fuel prices are affected, the stock market is impacted, and flight routes to the West are disrupted. More importantly, it affects the public sentiment,” he said.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti called Israel’s strike “yet another brazen act by a state that appears to have gone rogue.”
“The silence of the global community, particularly Western powers led by the United States, is both alarming and telling. This silence amounts to tacit approval,” she said.
Mufti pointed out the contrast in international responses: “In the case of India-Pakistan tensions, the US never hesitates to intervene to prevent escalation. Yet, when it comes to Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza or this latest strike on Iran, that same urgency is glaringly absent.”
“These glaring double standards endanger global peace and stability. Equally disturbing is the deafening silence of so-called Muslim countries, who remain shamefully passive in the face of such grave injustice. Their inaction is not just disappointing; it’s a betrayal of the very causes they claim to uphold,” she added.
Hurriyat Conference chairman and Jamia Masjid chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also condemned the Israeli strikes. “Another distressing news that came this morning is the bombing of Iran by Israel, in which many civilians including women and children have been killed. Besides, senior Iranian military personnel have also been assassinated. This is highly condemnable,” he wrote on X.
He added, “While perpetuating genocide on hapless Palestinians and getting away with it, Israel is now putting the whole of Middle East in peril. It has become a rogue state and a huge threat to world peace. It is the moral duty of the UN and all world nations to put pressure on Israel to stop the genocide and war in Gaza and prevent Israel from targeting other nations.”
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir stand in solidarity with the Palestinians and Iranians against Israeli aggression,” Mirwaiz said.
The Awami Ittehad Party, led by jailed MP Engineer Rashid, also condemned Israel’s airstrikes, calling them a “dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of international norms.” In a statement, the party lashed out at the international community—especially Western powers—for their silence, terming it “complicity.”
J & K