Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today said militants "will only have themselves to blame" if security forces hit them harder than before after the Centre's peace initiative ends.

On May 16, the Union government directed security forces not to launch counter-terror operations during Ramzan but said they reserve the right to retaliate if attacked. "With the militant organisations doing their best to make sure the ceasefire is a failure they will only have themselves to blame if the security forces come back at them even harder when the ceasefire ends," Abdullah tweeted.