ZAHOOR AHMAD MIR OF MAQBOOZA JAMMU AND KASHMIR,
THE SON OF MUHAMMAD ALI MIR CONTINUES TO WAIT FOR OVER 16 YEARS FOR THE RETURN
OF HIS FATHER’S REMAINS WHO WAS MURDERED IN A STATE SPONSORED PLOT BY THE
INDIAN GOVERNMENT ON JUNE 26, 1996
IN ATTEMPT TO
SUPPRESS THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT:
HABIB YOUSAFZAI KASHMIR DIASPORA ALLIANCE
16 years on, son looks for father’s grave
Rejects ‘blood money’, says ‘Govt gunmen shattered my happy
family’
Papa Kistwari’s Paap
ARIF SHAFI WANI
Srinagar, May 22: For Zahoor Ahmad
Mir of Nishat locality here, every day begins with a hope to locate his
father’s grave, but to no avail. This has been a routine for the past 16 years.His father Ali Muhammad Mir (45) was allegedly abducted and
killed by notorious government gunmen Papa Kishtwari on June 26, 1996. Sifting
through piles of papers in his modest house at Ganaie Mohalla Brein Nishat, Zahoor
Ahmad Mir recalls his ordeal and struggle since the day his father was killed. “For past over 16 years, I have
been fighting to locate my father’s grave and get his killers punished. I have
faced many tribulations and even threats but I won’t give up till I locate his
grave,” Mir said and broke down.
Mir was living a happy family life
till June 26, 1996 when his father went missing from high security Oberoi
Crossing here. The hapless family lodged a missing report and police arrested
one of the close aides of Papa Kishtwari. “Some policemen told me that during
interrogation, he (Papa Kistwari’s close aide) confessed that my father was
abducted and killed by Kishtwari,” Mir said. An
FIR (16/2007) was lodged in Nishat police station against Kishtwari under
section 302, 342, 364, 201, 120B RPC. Mir said despite the disclosure and FIRs
the accused were not arrested. However, this did not deter Mir from pursuing
the case through petitions and protests. Mir’s
joys knew no bounds when Kishtwari was arrested in April 2007 when his act of
encroachment on a local graveyard triggered off massive protests.
After police resorted to
‘dilly-dallying’, Mir had approached the State Human Rights Commission which
had directed the then Director General of Police (DGP) to investigate the case
through a special team. On July 5, 2008, the special police team finally filed
a challan against Kishtwari in the killing of Ali Muhammad Mir in the Court of
Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar. One
of the prime witnesses in the case had deposed before the court that Ali
Muhammad Mir was bundled in a white security gypsy near Oberoi crossing. “The
gypsy belongs to Kishtwari’s close relatives who unsuccessfully contested
elections. Ironically, Police failed to produce other witnesses in the case…it
is going slow on the case. Though three accused included Kishtwari were
arrested in the case but police have failed to locate my father’s grave or the
weapons of offence,” Mir said. Kishtwari
had unsuccessfully contested Assembly elections of 1996. He had joined National
Conference and remained a protected person till he was arrested in 2007.
Subsequently the NC leadership expelled him from the party.
Mir claimed that since 1996 he
faced many threats. “Government gunmen many times threatened to kill me if I continue to pursue the case. Later on Court and SHRC directions,
government allotted me two PSOs but later one of them was withdrawn,” he said. Braving all odds and threats,
Mir offered stiff resistance and valiantly pursued the case. “Kishtwari’s
relatives even offered me blood money of Rs 35 lakhs which is refused. I told
them to show me my father’s grave and I will gift them all my property,” he
said. To protest
against ‘dilly-dallying tactics’ by police, Mir has decided to hold a hunger
strike on Thursday, May 23. “Government
and police are hell-bent to safeguard the accused in my father’s killing. To register my protest against this, I will hold the hunger strike.
Senior separatist leaders have assured me of full support,” he said. “My last wish is to locate my
father’s grave and offer prayers for peace to his soul,” he said with moist
eyes.
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