 Mohammad Sarfaraz
Early Times Report
KUPWARA, Feb 12: At a time when there was need to console the old aged parents, relatives, kith and kin of two brave hearted soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the sake of country at Sunjwan-Jammu while fighting militants, no official from the district administration has bothered to see the families of these slain army men.
"I had never dreamt that November 14 would be a short meeting with my deceased brother who had returned to his home on my marriage ceremony. He spent three weeks with us and left back to join his duty in Jammu on Dec 7," said brother of slain army Subeidar, Mohammad Ashraf Mir.
Mir, 41, has left behind a wife, three children, old aged parents, two sisters, two brothers and their families.
"The elder son of the deceased officer, Rashid Ashraf who is reading in class 12 in Army goodwill school Chandigam Lolab in Kupwara district was as close with his father as he used to call his dad on the alternate day. Now who will look after him as he don't believe that his father is no more and left for heavenly abode," said Aijaz Ahmad, a younger brother of the slain officer.
Deceased has two more children; Salman Ashraf reading in class 11 and Tamana Ashraf studying in class 5. Both of them are looking for their father, while as his mother Leela Begum is not in a position to speak to anybody.
Aijaz told Early Times that people in thousands were waiting to give final aideu to Mir as they had assembled in his hometown, but since the flights couldn't land at the Srinagar airport due to bad weather conditions, Mir's body did not reach.
"We were informed by Farooq Ahmad Mir, second younger brother of deceased Ashraf who is also working in Army and presently he is posted in Jammu. After hearing the news about encounter that raged in Sunjawan army camp on February 9, we telephoned our brother to enquire about his health and safety, but he didn't pick up our phone call after which we called his wife who was along with him in his quarter," said a relative of Mir.
Her trembled voice made us to believe that something is wrong, after which we rang Farooq who told us about this tragic incident. We want peace and prosperity in this state as much of the blood has been lost now, we appeal both the leaders of hold talks so that this bloodshed could be stopped now, said the relative.
Meanwhile there are almost 14 people who are serving in the defence force among which one is in CRPF while as another one is in IRP of Police wing and rest 12 are in army.
Yet another deceased of this district Habibullah Qureshi was the eldest son of his parents; his father has retired as Havaldar in Army and served at various places across the country like Mizoram, Nagaland, Guwahati, Delhi, Poonch, Rajouri and Nowshera etc.
The deceased slain Havaldar has left behind old aged parents, five sisters, one brother and his own family with six daughters and a wife who is pregnant, while as the eldest daughter of the deceased is of 17 years and the younger one is of 2 and half years old.
Qureshi's father Haji Amanullah told early times that on the early morning of February 10 he had called his mother at 11:00 am and said that the encounter started in Sunjwan area, but you need not to worry as I am ok, but you all take care of yourselves, and he dropped the call.
"We had met with him on November 13 as he had visited here on marriage ceremony of his relative and left back to join his duties on November 22," said Haji Ammanullah.
"My son has fought bravely for the sake of this country, it was his destiny but I am shocked like other parents who have lost their children. At least I had not imagined that I will be giving shoulder to his coffin, every parent is desired to get shoulder of their children under their coffins," he said. |
