A former BJP Sarpanch (village head) was killed and a couple from Rajasthan’s Jaipur were injured in two separate incidents of firing by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir late Saturday night, according to police reports.
The first incident took place in Shopian district, where terrorists targeted Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh, a former stone pelter who had turned into a supporter of Prime Minister Modi, often expressing his support in viral videos. Sheikh was fired upon in Heerpora, Shopian. The area was immediately cordoned off and Sheikh was evacuated to a hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The Kashmir Zone Police confirmed his death, and IGP Kashmir stated, “BJP leader and ex-Sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh succumbed to his injuries after being fired upon by terrorists in Heerpora in South Kashmir’s Shopian.” The 5th phase of the Lok Sabha (general) elections in Jammu and Kashmir is set to take place on May 20.
Couple from Jaipur injured
In a separate attack in the Yannar area of Anantnag district, a couple from Jaipur was injured. The terrorists fired upon Farha and her spouse Tabrez. Both were evacuated and taken to the hospital, and their condition is reported to be stable. These attacks have drawn widespread condemnation from various political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, including the National Conference, the PDP and the BJP.
Former Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, who is currently contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, expressed her condemnation on social media platform X. She highlighted concerns over the timing of these attacks, especially given that the south election was delayed without clear reasons.
“While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a (former) sarpanch in Hirpora, Shopian – the timing of these attacks given that the south election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially keeping in mind normalcy claims touted by GOI (Government of India),” she wrote.
While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a sarpanch in Hurpora, Shopian – the timing of these attacks given that the South election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially… https://t.co/rEa7SMpBGZ
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 18, 2024
Polling for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat was initially scheduled for May 7 but was deferred to May 25 due to concerns over weather conditions raised by political parties in the region.
National Conference condemns attack
National Conference President Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah also condemned the terror attacks. They emphasised that such acts of brutality are major obstacles to achieving long-term peace in Jammu and Kashmir. They called for all communities to unite in these challenging times to support efforts toward lasting harmony, extending their thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.
BJP condemns attack on party leader
The BJP issued a strong statement condemning the killing of Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh, describing him as a “brave soldier of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir.” The party expressed solidarity with Sheikh’s family, reaffirming its stance against terrorism. “The BJP firmly stands with the family of Aijaz Ahmad, who lost his life in this terror attack,” the statement read.
(The article is published under a mutual content partnership arrangement between The Free Press Journal and Connected to India)
