The lawmaker had hosted a party on the lawns of Srinagar’s MLA hostel on Wednesday, where guests were served beef dishes.
He explained that he meant to offend no one and just wanted to send out the message that “no courts or legislature can prevent the people from eating what they want”.
There has been massive controversy in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir after the region’s High Court ordered implementation of a law that bans beef. The Supreme Court is now hearing the matter.
The Opposition members walked out from the assembly in protest. “They are killing people in broad daylight and if our members had not saved Engineer Rashid they would have killed him inside the house,” alleged an angry Omar Abdullah of the National Conference.
A mob last week lynched a Muslim man in an Uttar Pradesh village over rumours that he had slaughtered a calf and eaten beef. The incident caused nationwide outrage and re-ignited a political debate over beef-eating in secular India.
India, a major beef exporting country
Amid political debate over beef ban, the country’s food export agency Agricultural and Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) says that it is impossible to ban beef exports as it would hit the economy very hard.
A senior officer of APEDA on condition of anonymity said, “ It is the second largest product exported from country after rice. It gives revenue of over Rs 29,000 crore and banning it would be a big set back for the economy which no government no matter what their political affiliation could afford. Besides, it has no religious significance.”
Pakistan Foreign Office
Foreign Office Spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah on a question about the eruption of violence in India on cow-slaughtering said the country which claims to be a secular state should guarantee the basic rights of minorities. Attacks on Muslims on the issue of cow slaughtering are beyond comprehension and a cause of concern for the Muslims around the world.
