SRINAGAR: Suspected militants on Thursday shot dead Apni leader in Devsar area of Kulgam district.
An official said that Apni party leader Ghulam Hussan lone was shot at outside his residence in which he has received critical injuries.
He added that he has been shifted to hospital for treatment, however, he was declared brought dead there. Meanwhile area has been cordoned off to nab the attackers, he added.
Ghulam Hassan Lone became the third politician from the Kulgam district to be killed in the last 10 days. Omar Abdullah and Mehabooba Mufti, former chief ministers of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, condemned the assassination.
Taking to Twitter, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah expressed concern over the “renewed trend” of targeting mainstream politicians by terrorists.
“Very sorry to hear about the assassination of Ghulam Hassan Lone in Devsar area of South Kashmir. This renewed trend of targeting mainstream politicians by militant outfits is very worrying & I condemn the same in the strongest possible terms. May Allah grant the departed Jannat,” Abdullah tweeted.
Condemning the murder, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti said there seems to be “no end to the spree of political killings in Kashmir.”
“Unreservedly condemn the killing of Apni party leader Ghulam Hassan Lone. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” she tweeted.
Meanwhile Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari expressed profound grief over the barbaric killing of Apni Party’s prominent worker Ghulam Hassan Lone who was shot dead in Devsar-Kulgam.
Bukhari termed the news as extremely unfortunate while saying that such attacks are intended to stop the current ongoing peace process in J&K.
“These reprehensible acts of violence are going to yield nothing but they only add to the sufferings of the people. Nothing can justify the cold blooded innocent killing of a political worker who was just trying to resolve the pressing issues of the people of his area,” he said.
Bukhari said that his Party has always reiterated that violence in any of its manifestations and motivated by any of the extremist ideologies in the world only begets violence and yields nothing positive for a human civilization.
“This is a moment of utter grief and gloom for Apni Party wherein we have lost a valuable member to this insane cycle of violence. We pray for eternal peace to the deceased and endurance to the family to bear this huge and irreparable loss,” he said.
Furthermore, the Party’s senior leadership has also expressed solidarity with the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul.
The Party leadership unanimously urged the J&K government to take a review of the security situation and implement all necessary measures to prevent such attacks on the political affiliates.
CPI (M) leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami also condemned the killing of politicial activist Ghulam Hassan Lone in Devsar area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
Terming the incident as unfortunate he said that there is no justification to kill any unarmed person.
On Monday, militants killed a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Javeed Ahmad Dar, constituency president of Homshalibugh in Kulgam, succumbed to his injuries after militants fired at him at Brazloo-jagir in Kulgam.
