Umer Rashid

Srinagar, March 22 : Thousands of people on Saturday attended the funerals of two slain militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in south Kashmir’s Shopian district amid a gun salute and shutdown.

On Friday, Showkat Ahmad Sheikh resident of Harmain Shopian and Yasir Ahmad Shah resident of Arhama Shopian were killed in a gunfight with government forces at Gadapora, Ratnipora area of Shopian district.

Police said the slain militants were affiliated with JeM outfit and were wanted by law for their “complicity in several terror crimes including attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities.”

Showkat was involved in “abduction and brutal killing of three police officials Nisar Ahmad Dhobi, Firdous Ahmad Kucchay and Kulwant Singh, all residents of Shopian last year in 2018,” a  police spokesman said.

“As per police records, Showkat was also involved in attacks on Police Station Shopian in 2018 in which one police official Saqib Mohi-ud-Din got killed,” the spokesman said.

Showkat was wanted by law for his involvement in several rifle snatching incidents reported across South Kashmir. He was also involved in conspiring and executing many attacks in the area. Several crime cases were registered against him, the spokesman said.

The militant group was also responsible for the killing of woman police official Khusboo Jan recently in Shopian, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, after conducting all legal formalities, the bodies of the slain were handed over to their respective families for last rites.

Thousands of people assembled in the respective villages of the slain duo to offer their funeral prayers. Eye-witnesses said that a large number of mourners including women staged massive pro-freedom, pro-Islam and anti-India protests.

Two separate militant groups comprising four to five members also appeared in the native villages of the slain militants and offered a gun-salute. (GNS)

Qayoom Khan

Srinagar, March 23 : Assistant Commissioner Revenue (ACR) Pulwama Qazi Masood probing the “custodial killing” of a school principal Saturday met the victim’s family in Awantpora area of Pulwama district.

Rizwan Asad Pandit, the Principal of Sabir Abdullah Public School Tral, was picked up by the police from his home late on March 17 during a raid and was killed in police custody at the Cargo Building two days later, according to his family.

Although the police had initially admitted that Rizwan had “died” in custody and that the matter was being probed under “procedure laid down in Section 176 of CRPC,” it later filed an FIR against him for “escape or attempts to escape from custody”, lending a new twist to the case.

The magisterial inquiry that was ordered in Srinagar was also closed and a fresh probe ordered in Pulwama district and a report sought in “four weeks.”    

“Government has appointed me as an inquiry officer, I assured the family that I will conduct the fair investigation into the case,” the inquiry officer Qazi Masood told GNS after meeting Rizwan’s family members and local residents.

Masood said he has sought a report from SP Awantipora on why and how Rizwan was detained and the circumstances that led to his death. 

“I have also sought a postmortem report from the SP,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, reports said that soon after the inquiry officer arrived in the area and met the family members, locals held a protest demonstration demanding stern action against the guilty. (GNS)

Srinagar 23 March: Condemning ban on JKLF and slapping PSA on Dr. Hamid Fayaz Amir Jamat-I-Islami, AIP President Er. Rashed has said that such harsh and suppressive measures will fetch nothing except exposing the fact that New Delhi has no political resolution to Kashmir dispute. While interacting with various deputation in Srinagar today Er. Rasheed said.

“New Delhi needs to be reminded that when Yaseen Malik transformed his movement from armed struggle to political struggle, he did so on the appeal of think tanks and intelligentsia of India and choose Gandhian way to persuade his views. He met then India Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and other national leaders and one should not forget that Yaseen Malik completely opted the peaceful means to propagate his agenda. If New Delhi decides to ban his organization it speaks only arrogance and means New Delhi doesn’t believe in reconciliation nor has anything concrete to offer to people of J&K. New Delhi must tell what it wants Yaseen Malik to do. The decision of banning JKLF and using suppressive measures will help only those forces who use and believe violence as the only tool to make other side understand its view point”. Expressing deep anger and anguish over the death of 11 year old Aatif Ahmad of Hajin during encounter, Er. Rasheed  said that allegations and counter allegations will yield nothing. He said “The precious life of Aatif Ahmad could have been saved had both the sides shown some restrain. While militants are morally bound not to use anyone as human shield but the state forces could have saved the precious life of Aatif Ahmad who had nothing to do with what was happening. Let the Hajin incident be an eye opener for all the parties to understand that violence will yield nothing and meaningful dialogue is the only way to resolve seventy year long political dispute.” While Prime Minister Narindra Modi’s good wishes to Pakistan on its National Day is a good initiative but the strange side of the story is that prominent Indian citizens participated in  Pakistan’s national day celebration at New Delhi and Kashmiris were still not allowed to attend. He said that New Delhi needs to have a deep introspection to find if its policies are proving counterproductive.

Srinagar, March 22 : People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone Friday said Jammu and Kashmir will have its ‘ambassador’ for the first time in New Delhi if his party wins elections.

Speaking to reporters here, he also asked Delhi to introspect why Jamaat Islami and not its “chosen dynasties like Abdullahs and Muftis” had built hundreds of schools across Jammu and Kashmir.

“Instead of banning Jamaat, Delhi should introspect and ask itself why Jamaat had built 700-800 schools despite facing so many difficulties and the chosen dynasties of Abdullahs and Muftis hadn’t despite being in power and having so many resources at their disposal for so long,” he said.

Lone said Jamaat had been banned before as well and it had served no purpose.