‘My Son, Sajad, Chose The Gun Out Of Helplessness’

Srinagar—“At exactly 7:48pm I received a phone call from an unknown number. I couldn’t first recognize who’s voice it was. The person told me that an encounter is about to take place and the area has been cordoned off. Then he said that I must forgive him for his sins. I still was not able to figure out what he was saying. Finally he said, ‘I want to talk to Mouj’. And this was it. My son did not need to reveal his identity anymore. When I told him that I was out and his mother was at home, he told me ‘haan papa it’s me. Please tell Moji that I’m sorry for everything”, said Nazir Ahmed Gilkar, father of slain militant Sajad Ahmed Gilkar.

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On 11th July 2017, security forces cordoned off a house in Redbug village of Budgam district. They fired towards the house where militants were present. It was Tuesday night and a brief encounter ensued. The encounter resumed with the crack of dawn the next day and ended shortly after the house was blasted by mortar shells and the three militants, inside were killed. Apart from Sajad, the two other militants who died with him, included Aaqib Gul from Hyderpora and Javed Ahmad Sheikh from Beerwah in Budgam in district.

Sajad had left home on 29th June 2017, a fortnight before he was killed. His family said that they had no idea that he had any intention of joining militancy. “Sajad had just returned from jail this January. This time, he had been in prison for over 7 months, his longest term. After returning home, he would sit in his room for hours, without talking to anyone. The day he left, he had stepped out for his court hearing which was at 10:30 in the morning. I spoke to him few hours later and he told me that his next date of hearing has been issued. By evening, his phone was switched off. We searched for him all over and at every relative’s place and different police stations. We called his friends but nobody had any idea where he was. Finally we filed a missing person’s report,” said Murtaza Ahmed Gilkar, Sajad’s younger brother.

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Sajad had about 15 cases registered against him, including 3 PSA’s. According to the police, he was a frequent face at protests in downtown. However, his family claims that he only went for stone peltings once or twice.

“Yes I admit he made a mistake. He was just 16 when he first pelted stones and I agree he shouldn’t have. But for the one sin my son committed, how many times did the police punish us?” asked Nazir Ahmed Gilkar, Sajad’s father.

Sajad lived with his parents, three brothers, grandparents and his four uncles and their families. The family complained of constant harassment by police. Sajad’s father said that once when the police came looking for Sajad and found that he wasn’t home, they took away his phone, dragged him by the beard and took him to police station. His brothers were also taken into custody multiple times. Sajad’s uncle Manzoor Ahmed Gilkar said, “The police even used to come at night. They would barge into the house with big dirty boots and come into our bedrooms. One of them even had an eye on my wife and kept coming back into the room”, he alleged.

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“My husband used to get very agitated when they would come into our room. I felt extremely uncomfortable at how they looked at me. But I was more scared that they would do something to my husband because of how angry he used to get. They used to beat him up, dirty the house and even stole our table fan”, said Muneera, Manzoor’s wife.

Nazir Ahmad said that in the last few months whenever police visited our house, Sajad would tell us that he would go to the station himself so that police wouldn’t return. “Sajad was exhausted. As soon as he was released he was picked up again and taken into another prison. It never stopped. After a point, we felt that maybe he is safer inside the prison only” said Murtaza Ahmed Gilkar.

On the night Sajad was killed he made two calls to his family, first time after he had disappeared. His first call was to his father and another to his uncle. He called his uncle to try and reach out to his mother but since Manzoor was out, Sajad couldn’t talk to his mother for the last time. “Before the night of the encounter, he had never called home”, said Nazir.

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“I refused to believe he had joined militancy even when he didn’t return for so many days. Every day, I woke up hoping that he would walk in through the door that evening. He was such a loving child. More than me, his grandmother is not able to handle this loss. He was her favourite”, said Naseema, Sajad’s mother.

Soon after his death Srinagar police issued a statement linking Sajad to the lynching of DySP Ayub Pandith.

Sajad’s mother claims that on the night policeman was lynched, Sajad was at home. “When we heard about the lynching, Sajad himself told me how it was all so wrong. He felt bad for the DySP. I told him not to go out of the house as the situation outside was horrible and I was worried he would be harassed again” said Naseema.

“This is what has upset us more than anything. How can they blame him for this? I accept he should not have gone for stone pelting or joined militancy but why would they attach his name to this case? They just want to close the case. I will not tolerate this. If he was really involved in the case why didn’t they question him when he was alive and sitting at home?” Nazir Ahmad asked.

IGP Muneer Khan said that there was no doubt that Sajad was linked to the Ayub Pandith’s lynching. “The day after the incident, we started questioning and arresting different people. Sajad immediately went underground. Or else we would have arrested him for sure” the IGP Khan told Kashmir Observer.   

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Sajad’s youngest brother Mujtaba Ahmed Gilkar, who is speech impaired, broke down while remembering his older brother. “For Eid he gave me Rs.4,000 and branded clothes. Who will buy me clothes now? He was the one who would know exactly what I wanted”, signaled Mujtaba while his uncle helped us understand his language. Mujtaba was the last one to know about his brother’s death. “I was outside when people started telling me that my brother was killed. When I came home running and my family told me this, I fainted”, said Mujtaba who had to undergo four stitches on his forehead for the injury he suffered after his fall.

Sajad’s body was brought home on Wednesday afternoon. Thousands participated in his last rites. His funeral prayers were offered at a local sports stadium. “The boys here wanted to bury Sajad at Martyrs Cemetery in Eidgah but we refused. I also told them that I don’t want any violence in the name of my nephew. I don’t want more people to get killed”, said Manzoor.

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During the funeral procession angry youth chanted slogans hailing Zakir Moosa, the militant commander who recently separated from Hizb, raised Pakistani flags and even wrapped Sajad’s body with the flag resembling that of ISIS or Daesh. 

“We did not raise any flag except a black flag of mourning. We do not know who raised other flags”, said Manzoor Ahmed Gilkar.  

Nazir Ahmad interjected saying Sajad didn’t choose gun out of his own will. He must have felt like there was no other option but taking to the gun. He was constantly harassed, frequently picked up, beaten and locked up. He used to see us suffer because of him. All of this must have made him feel helpless enough to choose militancy as a last resort” said Nazir Ahmed Gilkar.  

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