KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
One of the militants killed in Sempora Pampore on Tuesday evening was 19-year-old Shakir Showkat Bhat who was a resident of Nowpora Kalan Sopore area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Shakir had joined LeT outfit on October 22 this year.
“I received a text message from him in which he had asked us not to lodge a missing report in any police station. Shakir had urged me to take care of the family and don’t bother about him,” Umar Showkat, a post graduate student and the brother of the slain militant told CNS.
Shakir was a BSc 3rd year student of Degree College Sopore. “He was always the prime target of security agencies. Whenever anything untoward happened in the area, he was being arrested. During anti-Israel campaign in 2014, the students at Degree College Sopore staged massive protests but it was my brother Shakir only who was targeted and arrested. He was confined in police lock up for ten days for being part of anti-Israel protest,” Umar said.
Shakir according to a police official was first arrested on 17 April 2013 from Behrampora Sopore area when he was accompanying LeT commander Fehadullah. “Since he was a minor then, the Court released him after five months from Sub-Jail Baramulla. Shakir was linked with militancy at a tender age and in fact it were militants who motivated him to join them,” the police official said on condition of anonymity.
The family members of the slain militant said that they were not expecting Shakir will be active in South Kashmir. “We were shocked to learn he was killed in Pampore,” they said.
Shakir was laid to rest in local grave yard amid pro-freedom slogans. Thousands of people participated in his funeral procession while Sopore town observed a complete shutdown to mourn his killing.
