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| Ahl-e-Hadith chief Maulana Shaukat killed in blast | | Thousands participate in funeral procession; Nobody points fingers on ‘India’ in deluge of condemnations; 4th major religious assassination after Mirwaiz Farooq, Qazi Nisar, Prof Ramzan; Hurriyat calls shutdown on Saturday | |
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, Apr 8: In a major politico-religious assassination in Kashmir, Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith chief, Maulana Shaukat Ahmed Shah, was killed today in a low-intensity IED blast when he was walking into a
mosque at Maisuma to participate in the routine Friday congregational prayers. This is first time in the last 22 years of armed strife that a prominent cleric has been eliminated at a mosque in a
Pakistani-style bomb blast but Shah’s assassination comes in a series of politico-religious killings after Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq, Qazi Nisar Ahmed and Professor Mohammad Ramzan.
SSP Srinagar, Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari, told Early Times that 55-year-old Maulana Shaukat reached Maisuma to participate in the routine weekly congregational prayers at Markazi Jamia Masjid of
Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith Kashmir at around 1230 hours today. As he was stepping into the mosque from a rear entrance in a narrow alley, a medium intensity blast occurred that left the cleric critically
wounded. Two more persons sustained injuries in the explosion.
SSP said that Shah was rushed to SMHS Hospital where doctors declared him ‘brought dead’. He seemed to have succumbed to injuries en route to the hospital. Two more injured were reportedly under treatment.
DIG Central Kashmir, Abdul Gani Mir, later added that Police recovered a mangled bicycle and other material from the site of the occurrence. He said that a team of ballistic experts was examining the substances and it was being ascertained whether the bomb was triggered with a time device or a remote control device. Both, SSP and DIG, said that prima facie evidence was pointing towards a remote control device---an indication that someone in ambush on the premises activated the IED on
sighting Shah.
Police officials appeared unanimous that Shah was the target. However, they maintained that Police was working on different theories, including Jamiat’s ideological rivalry with a number of separatist
political outfits and their guerrilla arms. Some were also suspecting Jamiat’s in-house factional feud. Shah’s assassination today came after two failed attempts on his life. In 2007, he had escaped unhurt
when an unidentified gunman had fired on his car at Barbar Shah locality. In December 2008, suspected militants had lobbed a grenade on his house at Lal Bazar (Main Stop).
Serving fourth successive term as head of Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith in Kashmir, Shah figured in ‘Y’ security category of J&K Police. SSP Bukhari said that two armed Constables from District Police Srinagar
were attached to him as PSOs and both were escorting him to the mosque at the fateful moment. Some of the residents said that the Shah’s PSOs fired some shots immediately after the blast but Police did not
confirm it.
Shah came from a modest background. He was modestly educated and earned his livelihood on selling Kashmiri shawls in West Bengal besides teaching holy Quran to children of his locality. He is
survived by his mother, two brothers, sister, wife (who is a government school teacher) one son and one daughter.
Shah’s predecessor in the religious organisation, Prof Mohammad Ramzan, was targeted by unidentified gunmen in Karan Nagar area on January 29, 1999. He later succumbed to injuries at a hospital on
February 15, 1999. Suspected militants had previously assassinated Kashmir’s top religious leader, Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq, at his residence at Nageen (Hazratbal) on May 21, 1990. Mirwaiz of South Kashmir, Qazi Nisar Ahmed, had been kidnapped from his home in Anantnag town and later gunned down in the evening on June 20, 1994.
Among the separatist political assassinations, Shah followed Sheikh Abdul Aziz of J&K Peoples League (Aug 12, 2008), Peoples Conference Chairman Abdul Gani Lone (May 21, 2002) besides Qazir Nisar Ahmed (June 20, 1994) and Mirwaiz Farooq (May 21, 1990). Mode rate separatist leader and head of People Political Front Fazal Haq Qureishi survived an attempt on his life on December 4, 2009. Prominent separatist ideologue and head of High Court Bar Association was also fired upon
over 15 years back.
Separatist politicians and militant outfits have been disowning killings of all politicians, religious leaders and intellectuals, and invariably holding Government of India and its agencies responsible
for these assassinations. However, senior Hurriyat leader, Prof Abdul Gani, created ripples in January this year when he revealed that all such killings were the handiwork of “our own people”--- euphemism for separatist militants. Significantly, none of the separatist politicians, including hardiner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, today pointed fingers on “India and its agencies” when condemnations poured in from
all quarters.
Both factions of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, JKLF of Mohammad Yasin Malik, besides leaders from all religious organizations and political parties condemned Shah’s assassination and described it as
the handiwork of “terrorists”. Among the mainstream politicians, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah PDP President, Mehbooba Mufti, CPI (M) State Secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and Speaker of Legislative Assembly Mohammad Akbar Lone were the first to issue unqualified statements of
condemnation. One of such statements also came in from BJP. JKPCC chief Prof Saifuddin Soz and almost all Valley-based Ministers condemned Shah’s killing.
Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah strongly condemned Shah’s killing. Terming the act most heinous, he said that killing of a veteran religious scholar was a great loss to the society and those responsible for the crime have exhibited their inhuman behavior towards the civil society and the innocents. He conveyed his earnest sympathies to the bereaved family and expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of precious human life in the blast. Later on his Twitter wall, Omar contested Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s claim and asserted that Police had not prevented him from attending Shah’s funeral prayers.
VALLEY TENSE BUT CALM
Maulana Shaukat Shah’s assassination sent shockwaves across the Valley but people by and large continued with their routine businesses calmly. Reports said that there was neither any shutdown nor any violent reaction. In the capital city, few of the youngsters pelted some stones at Maisuam and in the evening on the gate of Police Station Lal Bazar. However, they relented within minutes as seniors
told them that the slain leader was dead against stone pelting and violence.
Shops were closed in the afternoon at Maisuma and other parts of Civil Lines. However, all businesses, including passenger transport, operated without disruption in remaining 70 percent area of the
capital city.
While Yasin Malik’s JKLF called for a shutdown on Saturday and Sunday, both factions of Hurriyat Conference restricted the strike to tomorrow. Fearing threat to calm and tranquility, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah canceled his scheduled visit from Jammu to Delhi. He sent DGP Kuldeep Khoda to personally monitor the situation in Srinagar.
GRAND FUNERAL
Even after the blast, Shah’s followers attended the Friday prayers at Maisuma. Shah’s body was carried back to the mosque and kept there for a mourning until 1600 hours when Namaaz-e-Janazah was held at nearby business hub of Lal Chowk. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik, Prof Gani Bhat and Bilal Gani Lone were conspicuously present among the senior separatist leaders who attended the prayers. Officials insisted that the crowd was 6,000 to 10,000 but independent estimates put it at
20,000 to 30,000. Shah’s body was later carried to his home in Lal Bazar in a funeral procession in which more than 3,000 people participated. Another Namaz-e-Janazah was conducted at a mosque premises close to his residence. Mirwaiz and Malik were also present. Later, Malik led the final funeral procession to Iddgah. The burial took place peacefully at the “Martyrs’ Graveyard” at 2100 hours where around 1500 people attended the ritual.
MODERATE SEPARATIST
Like all the slain separatist leaders, Maulana Shaukat Shah was a moderate political and religious leader. On account of this profile, he had palpably become suspect among radicals in the separatist camp.
In the last over two years, he had grown a close association with JKLF chief Yasin Malik and had, on some occasions, emerged critical of stone pelting and radical reactions.
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