Thousands attend funeral of slain IHK editor

SRINAGAR: Thousands of mourners gathered Friday for the funeral of a veteran journalist who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike outside his office in this main city of the Indian Held Kashmir.

Witnesses said Bukhari died on the spot while the assailants fled immediately. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Shujaat Bukhari, a leading journalist and editor of English-language daily ‘Rising Kashmir’, was leaving his office on Thursday evening when three assailants roared up and fired several shots at him from close range. Bukhari, 50, was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

Two of his personal security guards were also killed.

On Friday, his funeral prayers were held at the Jamia Masjid.

Bukhari, who was given police protection following three attacks on him in the past decade, had been a strong advocate of peace in Kashmir.

India has deployed around 500,000 soldiers in the occupied territory, where armed groups are fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Bukhari took part in informal peace talks on Kashmir with Pakistani representatives in Dubai last year.

His final tweet, sent just a few hours before his murder, was a link to his website's reporting of the UN human rights chief calling for a major investigation into abuses committed in the Held Kashmir.

The identity of attackers and the motive for the killing was not yet known but Srinagar police released the CCTV footage of three suspects on the motorbike.

The government of Jammu and Kashmir has ordered a high-level investigation into the attack that came hours before Eidul Fitr.

Rising Kashmir on Friday carried a full-blown portrait of Bukhari on its front page against a black background.

The murder has been condemned by political leaders and journalists who hailed Bukhari as a fearless and courageous journalist.

"Terrorism has hit a new low with Shujaat's killing. That too, on the eve of Eidul Fitr. We must unite against forces seeking to undermine our attempts to restore peace. Justice will be done," tweeted Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Pakistan strongly condemned the targeted killing of Shujaat Bukhari and demanded the Indian authorities to investigate the matter and ensure that the perpetrators were brought to justice.

"Pakistan strongly condemns the targeted killing of renowned Kashmiri journalist, Shujaat Bukhari and his guard in Srinagar, today," said the Foreign Office spokesman Dr Faisal on Twitter.

"Our heartfelt condolences and prayers are for their families. Violence must end; perpetrators should be brought to justice.

"Bukhari's targeted killing within hours of his tweet on the OHCHR report on Jammu & Kashmir - terrible coincidence, raises serious questions - India should investigate and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice," Faisal added.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an umbrella organisation for all the journalist unions in Pakistan, also condemned the killing of Shujaat Bukhari by an unknown armed men in Srinagar.

A joint press statement issued by the PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Ayub Jan Sarhandi, said the editor of ‘Rising Kashmir’ had been under threat both from state actors as well as militant organisations.

“We are concerned over the ruthless killing of Shujaat Bukhari which is apparently aimed at silencing the saner voices in the Indian-held Kashmir,” the statement said.

'Brave and outspoken': Amnesty India described Bukhari as "a brave and outspoken voice for justice and equality in Jammu and Kashmir".

"This is a grave attack on press freedom and democratic voices," the Editors Guild of India added on Twitter.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh described Bukhari´s murder as an "act of cowardice".

"It is an attempt to silence the saner voices of Kashmir. He was a courageous and fearless journalist," he added.