by Tahir Bhat
JAMMU: Pandemonium broke out in the legislative assembly on Wednesday over the killing of a youth in the firing by government forces in Shopian district. The killing took place moments after the protests started against a crackdown by the army and the Special Operations Group (SOG).
As soon as Javed Mustafa Mir, Minister for Relief and Disaster Management, started speaking on the motion of grants of his department, NC member Shamima Firdous stood up and raised the issue of injury of two girls in Shopian and demanded an answer from the government over civilian killings, and growing human rights violations in Kashmir.
In Shopian’s Chaigund village, media reports said, two teenage girls sustained injuries in the firing. They identified the slain boy as Shakir Ahmed Mir, a resident of Qalampora area of Shopian was killed.
Taking cue from Ms Shamima, the entire opposition was on its legs demanding the statement from the government regarding the incident. They waited for almost half an hour. When the government did not offer the statement, they were up again.
As they were standing, they took an exception of the smiling gesture from Rural Development Minister Abdul Haq Khan. “Why are you laughing?” NC leader Ali Mohammad Sagar asked. Khan reacted bluntly: “These are the seeds sown by you”.
This infuriated the NC. They accused him of being a militant. “You are a militant and your brothers are militants,” they shouted at him.
Opposition earlier gave the minister the option of getting his government to issue a statement on Shopian incidents so that they will help him pass his grants without any tension, debate or question. AS it did not come, they left the house shouting slogans: “Shakir Kay Qatilo, Hoosh Mein Awo Hoosh Main Awo”. It was in this din that the House was adjourned till Monday.
Revenue Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri later said the firing is going on as there was an encounter. He admitted that one boy was killed. He said they are collecting reports about any other casualties.
