Parties condemn Pulwama killings : The Tribune India

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Parties condemn Pulwama killings

SRINAGAR: Three key mainstream parties in Kashmir on Saturday condemned the killing of civilians during a gunfight in Pulwama district.

Parties condemn Pulwama killings

Army vehicles at the gunfight site.



Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 15

Three key mainstream parties in Kashmir on Saturday condemned the killing of civilians during a gunfight in Pulwama district.

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah termed the killings as a “massacre” and blamed the Governor’s administration for not focusing on the “security of the people”.

“There is no explanation for this excessive use of force, none whatsoever,” Omar said. “This is a massacre and that’s the only way to describe it,” he said, as civilian death toll reached seven.

Omar also accused Governor Satya Pal Malik’s administration of failing to provide security to people. “The administration of Governor Malik has one task and one task only — to focus on the security of the people of J&K and restore peace in the troubled Valley. Sadly, it appears that’s the only thing the administration is not doing,” said Omar.

He further said the administration was “unable to learn how to handle” gunfights in a better way. “It was a badly executed encounter. Protests around encounter sites are a norm, not an exception,” he said.

PDP chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the Pulwama killings and said the “bloodbath” should stop. “How long are we going to shoulder the coffins of our youngsters? So many civilians were killed today post an encounter in Pulwama. No country can win a war by killing its own people,” she said.

Senior PDP leader and former finance minister Altaf Bukhari also condemned the killings and demanded “immediate fact-finding and a follow-up action as warranted under law”.

He said “violence begets violence and any such outrageous incident not only adds to alienation among people but also results in colossal damages to the efforts of restoring peace and stability in the conflict-ridden region”.

Bukhari said the killing of “unarmed, innocent civilians” had deeply shaken the entire Kashmir valley and “the question of the people whether this tragedy could have been averted is justified”.

Congress state president GA Mir expressed anguish over the killings and called for an “end to the bloodshed”. He said the civilian killings could have been “avoided had the forces followed the SOP properly”.

Another Congress leader Saifuddin Soz condemned the “use of extremely excessive force” at Pulwama by the security forces.

“I have a question for the Modi government. What does it want to achieve through the massacres in Kashmir? The Centre doesn’t see the writing on the wall that the number of killings by use of excessive force generates enormous reaction by armed militants and, therefore, the turmoil on ground,” Soz said.

Protests erupt across Valley

Protests broke out in many parts of the Valley over the civilian killings. In Srinagar, students at University of Kashmir boycotted classes and staged a protest. Clashes also broke out between students and security forces outside Amar Singh College, Srinagar. There were also reports of clashes between students and the police in Sopore town. Meanwhile, the joint resistance leadership called for a three-day shutdown till Monday to protest against the killing of civilians.

Mobile Internet services suspended

Mobile Internet services were suspended on Saturday in most parts of Kashmir, including in Srinagar, in the aftermath of the Pulwama incident as a precautionary measure, officials said. They said the services had been barred in four districts of south Kashmir; Srinagar; Bandipora and Sopore township in Baramulla; and Handwara in Kupwara district. The Internet speeds had been reduced in Budgam and Ganderbal districts, they added. PTI

Out to help injured, labourer found his son among dead

Srinagar: When Bashir Ahmad Bhat, 40, like many other villagers, rushed to the Pulwama hospital this morning after hearing about a high number of civilian injuries in forces firing, he immediately started helping the injured. As Bashir, a labourer by profession, was busy with his work, he heard that a body lying in the hospital was yet to be identified. At least 26 injured were brought to the Pulwama hospital; out of them, six were declared dead on arrival. "As he went to see the unidentified body, he was stunned to find it was his teenage son Aaqib Ahmed Bhat," a local resident said. "He was hit in the head," he said. Aaqib, 14, was among the seven civilian people killed in the incident. According to the family, Aaqib, a resident of Pirchoo, left home only after the pre-dawn gunfight ended. His house is nearly a kilometre from the gunfight site.   — Majid Jahangir

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