Martyred journalist asked for security form IHK CM: ex-RAW chief

ISLAMABAD: Senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari from Indian Held Kashmir (IHK), who was martyred in Srinagar last week, had approached puppet IHK Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti only a few days ago for increased security, former RAW chief AS Dulat said on Monday.

Dulat who earned fame through a controversial book with former DG ISI General Assad Durrani earlier served in the IHK as director Intelligence Bureau (IB) of India. Bukhari, the editor-in-chief of the daily 'Rising Kashmir', was shot dead outside his office in Srinagar on June 14. Two police officers provided to him as personal bodyguards were also killed in the attack. "He (Bukhari) had warned repeatedly of alienation, increased militancy and all pervasive fear in which no one was safe," Dulat, who reached IHK capital, last week, said in a statement.

Bukhari had "approached the chief minister only a few days ago for increased security. Yet who could have imagined that this gentle soul would become a target. Why? Dulat asked. "We had met at Istanbul about 6 weeks ago from where he travelled to Pakistan. Despite travelling for more than a fortnight he came from Srinagar to Delhi for the launch of my book 'The Spy Chronicles' on May 23. As usual he spoke fearlessly about his beloved Valley which he saw sinking in the last couple of years," the former intelligence chief said.

Bukhari was the most committed votary of dialogue as the only way out, he said. "He was a gem of a human being and a friend; possibly the brightest journalist in the Valley with a great future," he added.