A photograph of President Pratibha Patil holding an AK-47 during her ongoing visit to Jammu and Kashmir has been criticised by National Conference Chief Omar Abdullah.

In his blog, the former Union Minister has said he would have wanted to see her photographs with children in some far-flung hamlet rather than “brandishing” the “object that has caused so much death and destruction over the last 18 years”.

Patil was photographed on Saturday holding a gun while visiting a forward post in Jammu and Kashmir during her ongoing five-day visit to the state.