Sopore youth missing after earthquake

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 27

Two days after a major earthquake struck Nepal, a Kashmiri youth in the area is still missing. His family has approached the J&K Police, who have set up a special helpline, to know the whereabouts of their missing son.

Amir Hassan Dar of Dooru village of Sopore in north Kashmir had left for Nepal a few days before the earthquake rattled the Himalayan country on April 25. Since then, the family has not been able to locate Amir, who was in Nepal as a tourist.

“Neither has Amir contacted us nor have we able to locate him in Kathmandu,” said Dr Majid, Amir’s relative. He added that Amir’s father Ghulam Hassan passed away yesterday.

“Amir had left from Chandigarh as a tourist for Nepal. Since the earthquake struck Nepal, there is no word about him,” said DSP Owais Rashid, supervising the special helpline numbers of the Police Control Room in Srinagar.

Moderate Hurriyat spokesman Shahid-ul-Islam has reported that his brother Javed Shah, who has been staying in Nepal, is missing since the earthquake hit the country. Shahid said, “He is planning to travel to Nepal to search for his missing brother.”

The police had reported that most Kashmiris in Nepal were safe, but sources said nearly 100 persons from Kashmir stranded at the Kathmandu airport were awaiting their evacuation to India.