Palhallan (Varmul) Oct 23: Next of Kin (NoK) of the victims killed in this north Kashmir village during the present unrest are yet to come to terms with life. They are finding it hard to believe that their loved ones are no more. 
 “Why they made my four children orphan? How can I bring them up alone now,” screamed Fatima wife of Muhammad Ashraf Mir, who was hit by a bullet in this village August this year. Mir succumbed to his injuries at SKIMS Soura on September 13 leaving behind his wife and four kids Bilal, 13, Mehbooba, 10, Nadia, 7, and Adil, 3.     
 Living in abject poverty, Fatima is worried about future of her kids. “How will I feed them now,” she asks visitors. 
 For the past one month, her two younger children believe that their father would return. “They often inquire about his whereabouts,” she narrates and sobs.
 “How can I make them understand that forces have snatched their father? Sometimes in night the young Nadia and Adil wake up and ask for Abu. I tell them that their father has gone for work.”
  As her daughters returned after appearing in a exam she broke down and hugged them.
 “Don’t worry we will do labour to support you and sisters,” said her elder son Bilal to console his mother.
 Two days back, according to Bilal, Adil youngest one too young to understand realities of life went to orchards to bring his father back. “We have not been able to make Adil understand that our father is no more,” added Bilal.  
 The tale of other victims who lost their lives in forces firing is no different.
 Living in a mud house, the 65-year old Abdul Aziz Malik and Sarwa Begum are mourning death of their son Feroz Ahmed, who used to take care of the entire family after their elder son Fayaz Ahmed got separated.
 After Feroz’s death the only source of income they are left with is 2 kanal land which produces 50-boxes of apple annually. “It doesn’t fetch more than Rs 10,000,” family members said
 They said that Feroz had left the studies in a young age to ensure that his family gets two square meals in a day. “He was also trying his best to save the money to get his two sisters Muneera and Parveena married. He used to do menial jobs in orchards and paddy fields of the area to support the family,” said his father.
 Recalling that fateful day, his sister Muneera said he returned from work to have lunch. “After having lunch he went to market to buy meat but before he could purchase it they killed him without any provocation,” she added.
 The youngest victim Adil Ramzan Sheikh, according to family members, was killed by paramilitary troopers on July 30 in sub district hospital Pattan.
 Quoting medicos, his father Muhammad Ramzan Sheikh said after splinter hit him during protest he got himself admitted in a hospital. “After protests on Friday troopers went berserk and barged into the hospital. They thrashed doctors and other staff members mercilessly. Seeing Adil lying on the bed they removed drip and started beating him. They dragged him out of the ward and shot him dead,” he said.
 Sheikh family has lost four members in the past 20-years of conflict. “We have shouldered coffins of four members including Adil. On August 24 1992, our uncle Muhammad Sultan was killed in a gunfight and our father Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din was killed in 1999 and during Amarnath Land agitation our cousin Muhammad Ashraf lost his life,” Sheikh added.
 A Few meters away at house of Ansarullah Tantry, 25, his mother Raja Begum is constantly gazing at door of her house. She cannot believe that her son is no more. “Come dear my son where are you? Your friends are waiting for you,” she shouted as daughters consoled her.
 Ansarullah Tantray a postgraduate student of English and brilliant cricketer was shot dead by troopers last month. “We were over joyous as one of our son Nayeem, who was injured in police firing was discharged from hospital and recovered, but little did we realize our another son would fall to bullets,” said his father Ghulam Muhammad Tantry.
 “There were no protests or stone pelting in the area on that fateful day,” he added.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 23 Oct 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 23 Oct 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 24 Oct 2010 00:00:00 IST