'Thought It Was A Firecracker': Farooq Abdullah Breaks Silence, Recalls Moments After Gunshots

Last Updated:March 12, 2026, 12:42 IST

Former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah informed that he does not know the accused and has no information about him.

Conference president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday miraculously escaped after a gunman opened fire on him from behind while he was attending a marriage function in Jammu.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and advisor to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Nasir Aslam Wani, were accompanying Abdullah when the incident occurred.

Speaking about the incident, Abdullah said he initially thought the sound he heard while leaving the venue was a firecracker. He said security personnel quickly rushed him into a car, and only later was he informed that a man armed with a pistol had fired two shots.

The NC chief added that he does not know the accused and has no information about him.

“I was walking out of the venue, when I heard the sound of a firecracker. I thought it was a firecracker. Immediately, I was rushed into a car. Later, I was told that there was a man with a pistol who had fired two shots. Neither do I know this man (the accused), nor do I have any information about him," Abdullah said.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday talked to Farooq Abdullah after he suffered an assassination attempt. Shah also assured Abdullah of investigating the matter.

Accused Held, Identified

The accused has been identified as 63-year-old Kamal Singh Jamwal, son of Ajit Singh, and is a resident of Purani Mandi in Jammu. During the interrogation, Singh told the police that he had been waiting for an opportunity to target Abdullah for the last 20 years.

The accused was reportedly inebriated during the attack and was overpowered by security guards after he attempted to assassinate the former Chief Minister of J&K.

J&K CM Omar Abdullah Reacts

Expressing anguish over the incident, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Farooq Abdullah’s son, Omar Abdullah, thanked Allah for saving his father’s life and questioned the security over how the man with a loaded pistol was able to get within point-blank range & discharge a shot at the NC chief.

“Allah is kind. 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 a point-blank range and discharge a shot."

“It was only the close protection team that deflected the shot & ensured that the assassination attempt failed. There are more questions than answers at the moment, including but not limited to how someone was able to get this close to a Z+ NSG-protected former CM," he added.

News politics 'Thought It Was A Firecracker': Farooq Abdullah Breaks Silence, Recalls Moments After Gunshots

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