Amid growing concerns about attacks on Kashmiri students and traders in different parts of India following the recent Pahalgam terror strike, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah issued a strong appeal to the nation, urging restraint and unity in this time of grief.

"There are some reports that people of Kashmir are being targeted in different states," Omar Abdullah told reporters on Thursday. “I request the people of India not to consider the people of Kashmir their enemies. If the Centre is saying that the attack was done by Pakistan, then why the youth and the students of Jammu and Kashmir are being targeted in the outside states? It should be stopped," he said.

Highlighting the need for national solidarity, Abdullah said he has reached out to several Chief Ministers across the country to ensure the safety and well-being of Kashmiri students and traders. “People of Jammu and Kashmir are not enemies of peace. Whatever happened did not take place with our wish. We have to come out of this,” he emphasized.

The Chief Minister also expressed heartfelt condolences for all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, calling it a tragedy that has left the entire region in mourning.

“The government has sympathy with all those who were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack — be it the local civilian who took bullets to protect our guests or the tourists who had come here to enjoy the vacations," Abdullah added.

His remarks come in the wake of heightened tension following the brutal terror assault in Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed multiple innocent lives and triggered nationwide outrage.