Srinagar, June 15, 2018 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, Hurriyat leaders and organizations and journalists bodies have strongly denounced the killing of the Chief Editor of daily Rising Kashmir and renowned Kashmiri journalist, Shujaat Bukhari. Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside his office at the Press Enclave in Srinagar, last evening.
The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement in Srinagar condemning the killing of Shujaat Bukhari said, it is against the moral and human ethics to kill a person without any justification. Regretting such mysterious killings, he said difference of opinion is no way a crime to kill a person.
The Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in a tweet said, “Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic news of Shujaat Bukhari’s killing! Such inhumanity is unpardonable and must be condemned in the strongest terms!”
The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Muhammad Yasin Malik, in a statement termed the killing of Shujaat Bukhari as gruesome and direct assault on the freedom of speech and expression. “Kashmir has lost a balanced voice at the hands of ruthless assailants and this is actually a moment of mourning for all of us,” he said.
Other Hurriyat leaders including Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi Al-Safvi, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, Zafar Akbar Butt, Barrister Abdur Majeed Tramboo, Farida Bahenji, Abdul Aziz Dar alias General Musa, Khawaja Firdous Wani, the High Court Bar Association of occupied Kashmir, the Executive Director of Voice of Victims Abdul Qadeer Dar, the Secretary General of World Kashmir Awareness Forum, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, and the Chairman of Kashmir Council European Union, Ali Raza Syed, in their statements condemned in strong words the killing of Shujaat Bukhari. They urged an impartial investigation to probe the killing and bring the culprits to book. The Chairman of United Jihad Council, Syed Salahuddin, in a statement issued in Srinagar demanded an international probe into the killing of Shujaat Bukhari.
The Jammu Kashmir Editors Forum (JKEF) and Kashmir Editors Guild (KEG) condemning the killing of Shujaat Bukhari described it a great loss to the media fraternity in occupied Kashmir. They demanded a speedy investigation in the brutal attack so that killers are identified and punished.
The Editors Guild of India in a statement said that the killing of Shujaat Bukhari was a “new low in a rapidly deteriorating environment” for media persons in occupied Kashmir and called upon the puppet authorities to ensure their safety and bring to book the culprits. Several other media bodies including Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Association and Federation of Press Clubs of India in their statements expressed shock over the killing of Shujaat Bukhari and strongly condemned the attack.
For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
Phone: +92-51-4435548, +92-51-4435549
Fax: +92-51-4861736
Email: info@kmsnews.org
Website: www.kmsnews.org