An Indian lawmaker raised pro-Pakistan slogans in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Saturday after his counterparts from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allegedly chanted anti-Pakistan slogans in the wake of a suspected militant attack on an Indian army camp.
Akbar Lone, a National Conference lawmaker from Sonawari, later accepted that he had raised the slogans because he had been "provoked" by the slogans raised by BJP lawmakers, the Times of India reported.
"Yes, I said it. It is my personal view, I said it in the house and I don't think anyone should have a problem with it," Lone was quoted as saying by ANI.
Reports suggested that lawmakers associated with the BJP were raising slogans against Pakistan, accusing it of involvement in the Saturday morning attack on the Sunjuwan army camp in Jammu.
A National Conference spokesperson while quoting party president Farooq Abdullah said that Lone's action in the assembly was "unacceptable" and the party "disowns and condemns his remark".
Senior party leader Omar Abdullah said instead of getting "distracted" by "misplaced slogans", the focus should be on the suspected militant attack.
Meanwhile, Kavinder Gupta, the speaker of the assembly, suggested that increasing Rohingya and Bangladeshi populations in the region may have played a role in the attack. He also termed them a security threat.