Rajouri's Heartbreak: Terror Claims Second Generation, Village Demands Justice

rajouri’s heartbreak: terror claims second generation, village demands justice

Rajouri: Resham Bi, a 70-year-old resident of the tranquil Kunda hamlet in Shahdara Sharief, Rajouri, is enveloped in profound grief. Her eyes, stained with endless tears, refuse to find solace. Through a voice choked with anguish, she murmurs, “Mera bachha maar ditto. Unne ki bigarho. Zulm kar ditto (they have killed my son. What was his fault? Such cruelty has befallen us).”

This heart-wrenching tragedy has struck Resham Bi’s family second time. Twenty-one years prior, her husband, Mohammad Akbar, a panch, fell victim to the bullets of terrorists. The relentless hands of terror have now robbed her of her son, Mohammad Razzak (40), who was an employee in the social welfare department.

The tragic evening unfolded as Resham Bi prepared for dinner. Two armed men, clad in combat fatigue, appeared at their doorstep, demanding to see Lal Hussein, her other son serving in the territorial army. Mistaking them for army personnel, Resham Bi innocently asked them to come in. Armed men asked her to cook meal for 15 people. Assuming they were from a nearby unit, she asked Hussein to come out and meet them.

However, Hussein sensed treachery and swiftly fled towards a nearby hillock. The gunmen, spotting him, opened fire, injuring him but failing to capture him. Tragically, as Razzak returned home from the mosque after evening prayers, he was caught by terrorists and thus became the target of the terrorists’ gunfire, leaving him lifeless on the spot.

The fatal bullets cast a pall of gloom over the entire village. Razzak leaves behind five children, now orphaned and bereft of their sole breadwinner.

“Who will care for his children? What sin have they committed to be left fatherless?” laments Mohammad Anwar, a grief-stricken relative.

The heinous act has ignited a firestorm of anger among the villagers. They denounce this cowardly act as far removed from any form of jihad.

“Islam vehemently opposes the killing of innocent unarmed civilians. This is not jihad but terrorism, and the perpetrators must face justice,” declares a villager.

Reflecting on their painful past, family members recall the murder of Razzak’s father two decades ago, who they described as a panch striving for the betterment of his community. Now, history tragically repeats itself with the loss of Razzak, who was another beacon of hope for the welfare of his people.

The younger generation clamours for justice, advocating for the arming of villagers to avenge Razzak’s death.

“If you seek jihad, go to Palestine. Killing unarmed innocents is not jihad,” asserted another villager, echoing the sentiments of a village in mourning.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to apprehend Pakistani terrorists believed to be responsible for a brutal killing.

Intelligence inputs suggests that someone from the village may have tipped off the terrorists about Hussein and his brother Razzak. The terrorists arrived precisely when Hussein had returned home for dinner. Security agencies are interrogating individuals to uncover any local contacts aiding the Pakistani terrorists in this region.