12-year-old child killed as state terror continues in IHK

Junaid was hit by pellets; Indian forces use tear gas to disallow burial of kid in Eidgah; APHC leaders laud Nawaz and Pak parliament for bold stance on Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Scores of shells were fired upon the funeral of little Junaid Akhoon when mourners were carrying his body towards the Martyrs Graveyard at Eidgah here on Saturday morning.

Junaid Akhoon, a 12-year-old school boy, was hit by pellets fired by men in uniform on Friday afternoon. He was rushed to the SKIMS Soura from his home in Saidapora area of Eidgah. However, he succumbed to his injuries around 2am during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

Reports coming from Eidgah said thousands of people reached his home when his body was brought from the SKIMS Soura around 6am. The funeral procession marched towards Eidgah for final rites.

“But hundreds of police and CRPF men were already deployed near Aali Masjid,” reports said. “The funeral was yet to cross Aali Masjid towards Eidgah that men in uniform started shelling tear gas canisters to disallow mourners to bury the kid in Eidgah.”

“The body is lying on ground as mourners have been pushed back,” a photojournalist who reached the spot early morning said. “Media men have been clearly told to stay away from the funeral.”

Further, reports said the situation went out of control as soon as the news spread that Junaid had died.

“Pellets were fired in Saidapora area and a few persons were injured as well,” reports said.

“One pellet injured was brought to SKIMS Soura around 7:40am,” sources said. He had been hit by pellets in the back and the head.”

Hurriyat Conference on Saturday expressed strong resentment and condemnation over the murder by armed forces of 12-year-old Junaid Ahmad Akhoon, son of Ghulam Muhammad Akhoon of Saidapora, Eidgah, and injuring of dozens of children, women and youth in pellet firing and tear gas shelling on Friday evening and termed the indiscriminate firing and shelling at Junaid’s funeral the “worst example of anti-human mindset and oppression by the state”.

Paying glowing tributes to Junaid, the incarcerated Hurriyat Conference(M) chief Mirwaiz Muhammad Umar Farooq and other Hurriyat leaders expressed grief and sorrow over his killing and extended their sympathy and support to his bereaved family, saying “The leadership and people are indebted to the martyrs for their great sacrifice and Insha Allah Kashmir will witness the dawn of freedom.”

Meanwhile, a delegation led by Hurriyat Conference member and Jammu Kashmir Awami Action Committee (AAC) leader Muhammad Yaqoob Masoodi visited Junaid’s residence and expressed sympathy and solidarity on behalf of the incarcerated APHC chairperson with the bereaved family and the people of the locality, saying that “the sacrifice of Junaid and other martyrs is an asset to the ongoing resistance and will not go waste”.

The Hurriyat Conference spokesperson said during the past three months of the ongoing uprising, the “forces killed more than 100 civilians with pellets, bullets and teargas shells, injured thousands of people, blinded scores of them and damaged crops, fruits and property worth billions of rupees yet the oppressed people were determined to continue their fight for the right to self determination”.

Thanking Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and members of parliament of Pakistan for stating in unambiguous terms in parliament that “Kashmir is not an integral part of India” and calling upon New Delhi to initiate a meaningful dialogue process for resolving the Kashmir dispute, the Hurriyat Conference appreciated the resolution passed by the Pakistan Parliament urging the international community and human rights bodies of using their “influence upon India to stop the grave human rights violations” and revoking the black draconian laws like the AFSPA PSA and Disturbed Areas Act from Kashmir.

The conglomerate also thanked Pakistan for supporting the just struggle for the right to self determination of Kashmir politically, diplomatically and morally at all levels.