Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Oct 21: Amid tears ans sobs, Dr Shahnawaz Ahmed Dar, who was killed in a terror attack in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Budgam’s Naidgam village.
A pall of gloom descended Naidgam village when Shahnawaz was laid to rest, with women wailing to mourn his death. Just days before, Dr Shahnawaz had married off his daughter and he was supposed to return home to welcome her. However, fate had something else in store for the Dar family. The moment of joy turned into a deep sorrow. “Myane Shahnawaz saebo, koatu govham (Oh my dear son where have you gone),” wailed his mother. Mohsin Shahnawaz Dar, Dar’s son, said he had dreamed of becoming an IAS officer, and his father had promised to help him achieve this feat. “All my dreams shattered when I heard the news of my father’s death yesterday,” he said.
Dr Shahnawaz was laid to rest at his native village, with thousands attending his funeral prayer amid sobs and tears.
Dar, who hailed from Budgam’s Naidgam village, was among seven persons killed in a terror attack on a construction site in Gagangeer area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district late last evening.
A team of National Investigation Agency (NIA), led by a senior officer, also arrived at the terror attack site today morning to probe the incident. The attack that left seven dead evoked massive condemnation, with chief minister Omar Abdullah terming it as “cowardly” act.
Home Amit Shah and Lt Governor Manoj Sinha also condemned the attack, stating that the perpetrators won’t go unpunished and those behind the attack will pay a heavy price.
