Fatwa against 'Pargaash' act to disturb normalcy: BJP

JAMMU: The BJP today criticised the decree issued by Jammu and Kashmir's Grandmufti against the all-girls rock band 'Pragaash', terming it a fundamentalist move which aimed at "Talibanisation" of the society.

"It is an attempt towards 'Talibanisation' of the society by certain fundamentalist groups who are uncomfortable with the return of normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir," party's state spokesperson Jitendra Singh said here.

He said there are some people who don't want the youth of Kashmir to be a part of the national mainstream.

The party also hit out at the National Conference-led government in the state, alleging that its "appeasement policy towards separatists and militant groups" encourage the fundamentalists and lead to such situations.

Although the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has denounced the decree on micro-blogging site Twitter, the government has not taken any measure for ensuring security of the members of the band, Singh alleged.

The party also launched a veiled attack on the Congress, saying that its "silence" over the issue raised doubts over its commitments towards maintaining dignity of women.

Amid support pouring in for the all-girls band after it received hate messages on social-networking websites, Grandmufti Bashiruddin Ahmad, through a decree, had yesterday termed singing as "un-Islamic" and asked them to abandon it.