Srinagar: Kashmir is observing a shutdown against the killing of scholar-turned-militant Sabzar Sofi and his Asif Gojri during a gunfight in Nowgam area of Srinagar on Wednesday.
The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) headed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik had called for the valley-wide shutdown against the killings of two Kashmiri militants.
Sabzar Sofi, a Ph.D scholar who joined militancy in 2016 and his associate were killed in a gunfight in Nowgam on Wednesday.
Shops, public transport and other businesses remained shut in the city and other districts of the valley and only private transport was seen in the uptown areas of Srinagar.
Rail services between north Kashmir’s Baramulla and Banihal town of Jammu region was also suspended. Heavy deployment of forces was seen in the Downtown area of the city and other sensitive places in the valley.
While paying tributes to two slain militants, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday that each day Kashmir is losing educated youth to the ‘obduracy and arrogance of New Delhi’ who does not want to resolve the Kashmir dispute but instead resorts to subjugation and repression, forcing ‘our youth to a path of armed resistance and martyrdom.’
In a statement, Syed Ali Geelani said, “Wounds of Dr. Manan’s martyrdom were still oozing, the deep and sorrowful separation of yet another budding intellectual Dr. Sabzar was inflicted this morning. Such tragic incidents, although part of freedom struggle, but certainly are enough to sadden the whole nation.”
JKLF chief Yasin Malik, who is still in custody, in a statement said after choking every little space for peaceful political resistance, ‘India and its stooges are pushing our highly educated and passionate youth towards the path of ultimate sacrifice.’
“After scholar Manan Bashir Wani another scholar Doctor Sabzar has been martyred by Indians. These martyrs represent the soul our struggle for freedom and self determination and this nation is in all means indebted to them. “A nation whose sons are being massacred by tyrants cannot tolerate tyranny and illegal occupation silently and do anything that can strengthen the blood soaked hands of killers and murderers,” read a statement of the JKLF.
