Author: Khursheed Wani
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: February 2, 2011
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/314866/Valley-silent-over-LeT-killing-of-Sopore-sisters.html
Hundreds of people silently participated in
the funeral of two young sisters in Sopore town of north Kashmir on Tuesday.
The siblings were killed allegedly by Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) terrorists on
Monday evening.
While the family members are clueless about
the reason for the killing, the mainstream and separatist groups have condemned
the gruesome incident. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah came down heavily on the
"double standards of those who raise a hue and cry" on security
forces' "highhandedness" but "maintain silence when terrorists
perpetrate horrible violence".
No group has claimed responsibility for the
killing, but police said that three terrorists - two of them locals - were
involved. Sources said that even as people resented the killings, there was
no shutdown to show resentment. "There were around 1,000 persons in the
funeral procession. They were silent and raised no slogans. The life returned
to normal during the day," said Fayaz Ahmad, a local resident, on phone.
The two sisters -- 20-year-old Arifa and 17-year-old
Akhtara were abducted from their residence at Muslim Peer locality of Sopore
late on Monday and shot within minutes. Their inconsolable father Ghulam Nabi
Dar, a labourer, said he had no clue as to why his daughters were killed.
"My nieces had no association with any
political party or agency. They were lending a helping hand to the family
by selling fried potato chips and fish to street vendors," uncle Merajuddin
said.
Superintendent of Police Altaf Khan said three
LeT terrorists were involved in the crime. "We have identified the killers.
Two of them are local terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Tayyeba," he
added.
The girls' father said he was inside their
house when the militants struck. "It was around khoftan (late evening
prayer) when some of them came inside and others stopped in the courtyard.
They asked me about the girls. One of them went upstairs and another stood
in front of me. They took them away and, some time later, we heard gunshots.
I was then told that my daughters have been killed," an inconsolable
Dar said.
Hundreds of people attended the last rites
of the slain sisters. People condemned the killings and demanded immediate
arrest of the killers. Minister of State for Horticulture Javed Ahmad Dar
visited the bereaved family and handed over a cheque of `2 lakh as ex-gratia
relief.
"There have been many such killings in
Sopore town. The traumatised people are clueless. Nobody dares to speak up
publicly," Ahmad said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, both
factions of the Hurriyat Conference and politicians of various hues have condemned
the killings. Stating that violence in all its manifestations was condemnable,
the Chief Minister came down heavily on the killers and "those who do
not condemn such acts but raise hue and cry when security forces are accused
of breach of discipline".
He said, "Why this was done, I find it
difficult to understand. Obviously no one has the guts to take responsibility
and this brings out the contradictions in Kashmir. If there was the slightest
indication of high-handedness by forces, the whole Valley would have been
up in flames. But since terrorists are involved, condemnation -- if any --
is muted. All kinds of violence need to be condemned."
Hurriyat hardline faction's spokesman Ayaz
Akbar deplored the Government's attempt to blame separatists for observing
silence on such killings. "We condemn such heinous crimes. It is the
Government that awards killers," he said and demanded an "impartial
probe" into the incident. The moderate faction of Hurriyat and JKLF also
condemned the killing.
Independent legislator Engineer Rasheed said
that just like the Government, it was obligatory upon the terrorist leadership
to make its stand clear. "If they have killed the women, they should
accept it openly and tell the people reasons for it. But if they haven't,
they also should unambiguously condemn it," he stressed.
