Shah had denounced stone pelting

Religious leader falls prey to militants' IED blast

Excelsior Correspondent/PTI
SRINAGAR, Apr 8: Militants today killed a prominent religious leader Moulvi Showkat Ahmad Shah, a liberal voice who had denounced stone-pelting and was engaged with Centre's interlocutors, by triggering an IED attack near a mosque here after a lull, drawing condemnation from separatists and political leaders. The chief of Jamiat-e-Ahlihadith, 55-year-old Shah, who survived two bids on his life earlier, was seriously injured as militants detonated at around 12.30 PM the bomb planted in a cycle outside the mosque ahead of Friday prayers in Maisuma area adjacent to Lal Chowk, striking in the heart of Srinagar.

The last militant killing in the area had taken place in August 2009 when a CRPF jawan died in an attack. A vocal opponent of violence, Shah, who had termed last year's stonepelting protests as un-Islamic, was declared brought dead in a hospital, police said.
Shah had earlier met one of the interlocutors and discussed with him a possible road map for bringing peace in the Valley. He was among the first who had demanded a fresh enquiry into the killings of separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Farooq, Abdul Gani Lone and Qazi Nissar.

Following his statement, Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Bhat and Sajjad Lone had openly said that these leaders had been killed by "our own men". Separatist and political leaders condemned the killing with the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference calling for a shutdown tomorrow while its hardline faction termed it as an "act of terrorism." Moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a statement that Shah always chose to tread the path of righteousness.

Dileep Padgaonkar, heading the Central interlocutors' team, said, "This is a reprehensible act and it runs counter to the Kashmiri tradition of tolerance of all faiths and opinions." Shah was also actively involved in separatist politics and was close to JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik and moderate Hurriyat chairman Umar Farooq. Militants had earlier fired at his car in 2006 and hurled a grenade at his house in Lal Bazar in outskirts of city in 2008.

Shah, criticised by hardliners who had supported stone pelting protests, had challenged the perpetrators of violence to cite even one sermon from Islamic religious texts which supports such acts. Known for advocating puritanical Islam, Shah had issued a fatwa against such violent protests. Shah was a tech-savvy individual with a public figure page on social networking site Facebook where many threatening messages were also posted by his opponents.

He came under fire from hardliner Syed Ahmed Shah Geelani soon after he issued fatwa against stone pelting protests which left over 115 people dead last year. The killing of Jamiat president sent shock waves among the people of Kashmir valley as he was a popular religious figure and was held in high esteem by people belonging to different sects. He was very close to JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik and he used to guide Malik on various issues.

According to IGP Kashmir range, SM Sahai the blast took place near the gate of the mosque when the people were heading towards the mosque to offer the Friday prayers. "The whole area is congested and many people offer Friday prayers in the mosque where the incident has occurred. The mosques are not guarded and as such I don’t see any security lapse in this whole issue. This is an unfortunate incident and condemnable," the IGP said.

When asked about any clue or lead that would help in tracing the person or persons who carried out the task, Mr. Sahai said that police is on the job adding that the said person or persons are yet to be identified. The IGP along with DIG Central Kashmir range, Abdul Gani Mir reached the spot and took stock of the situation. They were accompanied by other police and security forces officials and the situation remained by and large peaceful in the area. The security was beefed up across the Srinagar city.

The situation became tense in the entire area with schools, colleges and other commercial establishments getting closed. Shopkeepers downed their shutters and in no time the city centre area of Lal Chowk more so Maisuma, Gaw Kadal and adjoining areas wore a deserted look. Chairman of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik today joined thousands of mourners to offer funeral prayers of slain Jamiat-e-Ahli Hadees chief at the historic Lal Chowk here.

Mourners, many of whom were wailing and sobbing, chanted slogans on their way to Lal Chowk from different parts of the Kashmir valley. Police and paramilitary forces, deployed in strength earlier during the day as a precautionary measure, were withdrawn to allow smooth funeral prayers and avoid clashes. The mourners, many of whom chanted slogans, dispersed off peacefully as the body of the slain scholar was taken for burial.

Immediately after the ‘Nimaz-e-Jinazah’ (burial prayers) ended, the body was taken to Shah’s Lal Bazar residence, about 13 kms from here as many of his relatives and supporters had directly reached there. Another funeral prayer was offered at the residence before the body was taken to martyrs’ graveyard at Eidgah for burial, a spokesman of the Jamiat-e-Ahli Hadees said. Mirwaiz, has already called for a general strike tomorrow in protest against the killings.

JKLF chairman Mohammad Yaseen Malik said he will unveil the killers of his close friend and Jamiat-e-Ahli Hadees president Showkat Ahmad Shah. "The death of Shah has broken our back. I will not rest till I unveil his killers," Malik said addressing mourners at Lal Chowk here. Moulvi Showkat Ahmad Shah was to lead the Friday prayers a little over half-an-hour later when an explosive on a bicycle at the rear entrance of the Ahl-e-Hadees mosque in Maisuma area here went off, resulting in the death of the cleric.

Blood spilled around the area, smashed window panes and the mangled bicycle said everything about the incident. Immediately, members of Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadees, which Shah headed, hundreds of his followers and people who had come for the weekly prayers gathered around. "I was in my room when I heard a loud thud. I went upstairs to see what happened and I saw a man lying on the road," said Yasmeen, who lives in a house less than a meter away from the blast site. An old man who was inside the mosque when the blast took place said he felt the wall will come down.

"I saw a bag on the cycle but I went inside the mosque. When the blast took place everything just trembled," he said. Shah fell on the ground and was taken to a local hospital where doctors declared him "brought dead". His body was later taken back to Gaw Kadal and placed in the middle of the road, where people gathered in large numbers. Jamiat, which propagates a puritanical version of Islam, has often been at loggerheads with the more moderate Sufi Islam - which has been predominant in the Valley.

Shah was elected president of the group for the third consecutive term last year. Meanwhile, Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah today expressed grief over the killing of Moulvi Showkat Ahmad Shah. "I strongly condemn the killing of religious scholar Moulvi Showkat Ahmad Shah. His killing has created a void in the religious circles which is impossible to fill," the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy said in a condolence message. Shah’s killing is against the teachings of Islam, Dr Abdullah, who is also the president of ruling National Conference, said.

"Shah was working for the propagation of Islam and welfare of the people," he added. Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah has strongly condemned the blast at Maisuma, Srinagar in which Maulana Showkat Ahmad has lost his life. Terming the act as most heinous, Omar said that killing of a veteran religious scholar is a great loss to the society and those responsible for the crime have exhibited their inhuman behaviour towards the civil society and the innocents. The Chief Minister conveyed his earnest sympathies to the bereaved family and expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of precious human life in the blast.