“Wanted to Kill Him for 20 Years”: Farooq Abdullah Attacker Shows No Remorse

New Delhi:The man who allegedly attempted to assassinate former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah showed no sign of regret after the incident, telling police he had been waiting for the moment for nearly two decades. The accused claimed the attack was driven by a “personal agenda.”

The dramatic incident unfolded on Wednesday at a wedding ceremony in Jammu, where 65-year-old Kamal Singh Jamwal managed to get dangerously close to Abdullah, who is protected under Z+ security. Jamwal allegedly fired a shot from his licensed pistol at point-blank range, but quick action by commandos of the National Security Guard (NSG) deflected the attack, allowing the veteran leader to escape unharmed.

Videos from the venue show the attacker approaching Abdullah moments before the shot was fired. Security personnel immediately overpowered him, preventing further harm. Eyewitnesses said Jamwal appeared to be in an inebriated state at the time of the incident. Angry bystanders reportedly thrashed him before he was taken into police custody.

After his arrest, Jamwal was seen sitting calmly while speaking to police about his background. According to eyewitness Rakesh Singh, the accused claimed to be the chairman of an organisation called “Jagran Manch” and said he lived off rental income from three shops he owned.

The pistol used in the attack has been seized by authorities as part of the ongoing investigation.

At the time of the incident, Abdullah was attending the wedding of a party leader’s daughter and was accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and Nasir Sogami, advisor to the J&K Chief Minister. Sogami described the incident as an attempt on Abdullah’s life but said that fortunately no one was injured in the firing. He added that the motive behind the attack and whether there was any security lapse are still under investigation.

Reacting to the incident, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his father had a “very close shave.”

“Allah is kind. My father had a very close shave. A man with a loaded pistol was able to get within point-blank range and fire a shot,” he said, praising the swift action of the security team that prevented a tragedy.