Srinagar Youth Among 3 Militants Killed In South Kashmir

Srinagar—Three militants were killed in an overnight encounter with joint team of police, army and paramilitary CRPF at Hakoora area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

A joint team of police’s SOG, army, and CRPF had launched a cordon-and-search operation at Hakoora village midnight, around 12:30 am.

A police spokesman said that “pursuing credible leads” about the presence of militants, the joint team started search in the Hakoora area of Anantnag.

“While the search was going on the hiding militants fired upon the search party. The fire was retaliated by the forces, ensuing an encounter,” he said. In the encounter, three militants were killed which include Eisa Fazli of Srinagar, Syed Owais of Kokernag. “The identity of the third militant is being ascertained,” he said.

In the process arms and ammunition which include AK 47 rifles, pistols, hand grenades were recovered from the encounter site, the spokesman said. “Further in the incident no collateral damage has taken place.”

It is pertinent to mention, the spokesman said that among the killed militants, one was involved in a recent attack on a police guard post at Soura in which one police constable was killed.

“In this connection, a case has been registered and investigation has been started under the relevant provisions of the law by the Police.”

Belonging to Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen’s, Eisa Fazli alias Esha Roohula of Ahmadnangar Soura Srinagar and Syed Owais Shafi of Violoo Kokernag belonged to well-to-do families and were extremely brilliant in their studies, an official said.

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Thousands Attend Funerals Of Eisa, Owais; Spontaneous Shutdown Observed

Tens of thousands of people attended the funerals of two of the three militants killed in Anantnag on Sunday night, even as Srinagar and South Kashmir witnessed a spontaneous shutdown in their honour and groups of youth clashed with government forces during the burial.

One of the militants, Muhammad Eisa Fazili, belonged to the Ahmadnagar area of Srinagar, and the other, Owais Shafi, was from the Vailoo area of Kokernag in the Anantnag district, while as the body of the third militant was lying in the Police Control Room, awaiting identification when this report was being filed.

Authorities ordered the closure of schools and colleges in Srinagar and the South Kashmir districts of Shopian and Pulwama, and imposed restrictions in many Old Srinagar areas as clashes broke out between groups of youth and government forces at several places, with the latter retaliating with tear gas shelling after coming under stone-pelting attacks.

Though his body arrived at his native Ahmad Nagar in Soura at 10:30 in the morning, Fazili’s funeral took place at 3 in the afternoon in deference to his father’s request.

The massive gathering chanted pro-freedom slogans, with a few brandishing ISIS flags as well, reports said.

Thousands of people also attended the last rites of Owais Shafi at his native Vailoo village in Kokarnag, even as clashes erupted at a number of places like Shopian, Larnow, Kokernag, Khanbal Anantnag, Qaimoh, Kulgam, Laizbal and Bijbehra, leaving a number of protestors injured.

At the Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU), Rajouri, where Eisa Fazili had been pursuing his B Tech until he joined militant ranks last year, students offered funeral prayers for their former colleague.

Examinations, interviews and class work were also suspended on Monday by the Board School Education and the Islamic University Science and Technology.

Authorities snapped internet services once again in Srinagar and parts of South Kashmir after having directed telecom companies to downgrade cyber speeds. It was restored in the evening.

Internet services remained off in the Shopian district for the eighth day running.

Rail services in the Kashmir Valley were also suspended as a precautionary measure in view of any possible law and order situation.

Hurriyat, JKLF Pay Tributes

Both factions of Hurriyat Conference and JKLF on Monday paid tributes to militants killed in Hakura Anantnag gunfight.

In a statement, Chairman Hurriyat (G) Syed Ali Geelani blamed Indian authorities and said that their “insensitivity and unconcern” is the sole reason for this unabated bloodshed.

“These youths spilled their hot blood for the great and sacred cause of Kashmir and the entire nation of Kashmir is indebted to these martyrs for their ultimate sacrifice. It is the collective responsibility of the people of Kashmir and the leadership to take the ongoing movement to its ultimate realization,” Geelani said.

He said India authorities instead of taking measures to resolve long pending issue in its historical perspective, want to thrust their choice through “barrel of gun”.

On Geelani’s directions, Hurriyat leaders Hakeem Abdul Rashid, Mohammad Rafiq Owasi, Mohammad Ashraf Laya, Abdul Ahad and others visited Soura Srinagar and participated in funeral prayers of slain youth Mohammad Eissa Fazili.

Mohd Ashraf Laya in his address to mourners said that “nation is duty-bound to carry the mission of martyrs to its logical end”.

Hurriyat Conference (M) in a statement paid glowing tributes to three youth killed in Hakura stating that the priceless sacrifices of Kashmiri youth will always be safeguarded.

Hurriyat (M) spokesperson said that Kashmiri people were still dealing with the shock of the Shopian killing by army firing when three young and educated youth were killed in an encounter.

“How long will we the people of Kashmir be shouldering the coffins of our loved ones as the fact remains that it is the policy of extreme repression and suppression by New Delhi which is pushing the young and educate youth to pick up arms as a means of resistance to it,” he said.

He said that it is because of the lingering Kashmir dispute that the region is witnessing unending bloodbath everywhere. He said that Kashmir dispute has to be addressed and resolved in its historical context either on the basis of the right to self-determination or through tripartite dialogue with the active involvement of all the stakeholders including Kashmiri people, who are the basic stakeholders of the dispute. “Delaying the issue would lead to more bloodbath in the region and nothingness else,” the spokesperson said.

Paying rich tributes to slain militants, JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik said, “Indian rulers and their stooges first choked every space on peaceful protest and activates and hence pushed these budding flowers to the wall and now has engaged its thousands of terrorists in uniform to kill these young Kashmirs with impunity.”

A JKLF delegation comprising of zonal organizer Bashir Ahmad Kashmiri and Zahoor Ahmad Butt visited Soura and participated in the funeral prayers of slain militant Eesa Fazli. The leaders also met with the bereaved family and expressed solidarity with them, the statement said.

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