Death won146;t deter

The Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government today put up a brave front at the funeral of its legislator Abdul Aziz Mir 8212; who was assasinated b...

The Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government today put up a brave front at the funeral of its legislator Abdul Aziz Mir 8212; who was assasinated by militants yesterday 8212; and vowed to continue its 8216;8216;healing touch8217;8217; policy to restore peace with dignity in the state.

The renewed spat of violence, however, continued with alleged LeT militants killing four members of a family, including a six-year-old child, in a village near Sopore late last night.

8216;8216;Hum aag bhujanay niklay hain, haath to jal hi jayengay We are out to douse the fires, our hands will of course burn,8217;8217; said Mehbooba Mufti, the fire-brand People8217;s Democratic Party leader and the architect of this 8216;8216;bridge-building8217;8217; strategy with the separatists.

CM8217;s rivals killed MLA: Hurriyat
SRINAGAR: Condemning the killing of Abdul Aziz Mir, the Hurriyat Conference on Saturday said enemies of CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed carried out the assassination to push the CM to the wall. 8216;8216;Those who killed the MLA want to deal a blow to Mufti8217;s healing touch policy. The PDP has been making efforts to bring some kind of relief to the people. The party8217;s enemies could have killed Mir to frustrate Mufti8217;s efforts,8217;8217; said Moulvi Abbas Ansari, senior Hurriyat Conference leader. ENS

8216;8216;Our healing touch policy has not failed. Today, we have four more orphans and we want to put an end to this,8217;8217; she said. Mehbooba had flown in to attend the funeral this afternoon and was accompanied by senior minister and party legislators.

At a meeting in Srinagar today attended by party MLAs, the PDP said it will not be cowed down by the designs of 8216;8216;elements inimical to peace8217;8217;. 8216;8216;We have taken a vow to take the party8217;s programme to restore peace and work for permanent resolution of the Kashmir issue to its logical end. We will not hesitate to render sacrifices for this,8217;8217; the party said.

Abdul Aziz Mir, the PDP legislator from Pampore, was assassinated last afternoon when a militant took out his silencer-fitted pistol and fired at him as soon as he emerged out of the local mosque after offering Friday prayers. The militant had made good his escape even as Mir was accompanied by his personal security guards.

Shocked at this first blow, Mehbooba was taken straight to the tent where Mir8217;s body was placed to enable the people to pay their last respects. The agitated villagers, mostly women, received her with emotional outburst. 8216;8216;Katil ko paish karo Produce the assailant,8217;8217; the crowd demanded as Mehbooba had a last look at her colleague.

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Asked if the assasination did not signal that militants had decided not to reciprocate the healing touch gesture, she said: 8216;8216;Our policy is not for any particular section of the society but for bringing relief to the common masses in the state and we will continue with our policy.8217;8217;

Around a thousand people, mostly women, had gathered at Mir8217;s residence to mourn their leaders8217; death. 8216;8216;He Mir was innocent and still he was killed,8217;8217; said Shafi Bhat, a neighbour.

As the villagers mourned Mir8217;s death, this small village explained the irony of Kashmir. Not a single villager spoke against the militants even as many talked about the assailant in whispers. 8216;8216;There were three more militants accompanying the assailant and they were in the village till late in the evening yesterday. They were perhaps waiting for darkness to descend and escape,8217;8217; a villager said as he looked around to make sure nobody listened.

The police are hoping to crack the case soon. 8216;8216;This murder has a local connection. We are waiting for the funeral to end before speeding up our probe,8217;8217; SP, Awantipora, V. Kumar said.

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In another incident late last night, a group of alleged LeT militants barged into the house of a villager, Ghulam Qadir Dar, in Reban village near Sopore and opened indiscriminate firing, killing three members of his family.

Muzamil Jaleel

Muzamil Jaleel is a Deputy Editor at The Indian Express and is widely recognized as one of India’s most authoritative voices on Jammu & Kashmir, national security, and internal affairs. With a career spanning over 30 years, he has provided definitive on-the-ground reportage from the heart of the Kashmir conflict, bearing witness to historic political transitions and constitutional shifts. Expertise and Investigative Depth Muzamil’s work is characterized by a rare combination of ground-level immersion and high-level constitutional analysis. His expertise includes: Conflict & Geopolitics: Decades of reporting on the evolution of the Kashmir conflict, the Indo-Pak peace process, and the socio-political dynamics of the Himalayan region. Constitutional Law: Deep-dive analysis of Article 370 and Article 35A, providing clarity on the legal and demographic implications of their abrogation in 2019. Human Rights & Accountability: A relentless investigator of state and non-state actors, uncovering systemic abuses including fake encounters and the custodial death of political workers. International War Reporting: Beyond South Asia, he provided on-the-spot coverage of the final, decisive phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. Landmark Exposés & Impact Muzamil’s reporting has repeatedly forced institutional accountability and shaped national discourse: The Kashmir Sex Scandal (2006): His investigative series exposed a high-profile exploitation nexus involving top politicians, bureaucrats, and police officers, leading to the sacking and arrest of several senior officials. Fake Encounters: His reports blew the lid off cases where innocent civilians were passed off as "foreign terrorists" by security forces for gallantry awards. SIMI Investigations: He conducted a massive deep-dive into the arrests of SIMI members, using public records to show how innocuous religious gatherings were often labeled as incriminating activities by investigative agencies. The Amarnath Land Row: Provided critical context to the 2008 agitation that polarized the region and altered its political trajectory. Over the years, Muzamil has also covered 2002 Gujarat riots, Bhuj earthquake, assembly elections in Bihar for Indian Express. He has also reported the peace process in Northern Ireland, war in Sri Lanka and national elections in Pakistan for the paper. Awards and Fellowships His "Journalism of Courage" has been honored with the industry's most prestigious accolades: Four Ramnath Goenka Awards: Recognized for J&K Reportage (2007), On-the-Spot Reporting (2009), and Reporting on Politics and Government (2012, 2017). Kurt Schork Award: From Columbia University for international journalism. Sanskriti Award: For excellence in Indian journalism and literature. IFJ Tolerance Prize: For his empathetic and nuanced reporting in South Asia. International Fellowships: Served as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and worked with The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times in London. He has also received Chevening fellowship and a fellowship at the Institute of Social Studies, Hague, Netherlands. Professional Presence Current Location: New Delhi (formerly Bureau Chief, Srinagar). Education: Master’s in Journalism from Kashmir University. Social Media: Follow him for field insights and rigorous analysis on X (Twitter) @MuzamilJALEEL. ... Read More