Kasab’s execution stirs hostility in native village
Residents of Faridkot village chase away journalists; deny he was a fellow resident.
LAHORE:
With the news of the execution of Ajmal Kasab spreading like wildfire, members of the local and foreign media went into frenzy and arrived at his native village to get reactions from those who knew of him. But the residents were in no mood to comply.
Residents of Faridkot village, three kilometres away from Deepalpur Tehsil in Okara District, Punjab were infuriated when some cameramen and photographers tried to shoot footage and take pictures of the locality. They snatched a cameraman’s camera and chased away the journalists.
Ghulam Mustafa Wattoo, the former Nazim of the local Union Council, instructed the journalists not to approach the villagers for their comments or take pictures without his permission.
Suddenly, a person said to be Kasab’s brother fell unconscious and the journalists and cameramen tried to capture the incident. But the locals chased them away before they could record the incident.
They later established barriers and pickets on the road leading to the village from the main Deepalpur-Hujra Shah Muqeem Road.
Wattoo said the media tried to defame his village. He added that they have no links with Kasab and claimed that he was in fact not a resident of Faridkot.
A heavy contingent of police and intelligence agencies’ officials also reached the village immediately after his execution became public.
Rai Bashir Ahmed, a resident of the village, told The Express Tribune, “Ajmal Kasab was never a resident of this village and we do not know this man.” He stated that some elements tried to defame the village’s reputation by spreading false stories when Kasab was arrested.
While clarifying the attack on media personnel by the local residents, Ahmed said that they were unaware of the atmosphere and the culture of the village and started interviewing and capturing videos of the villagers without their permission.
Reactions
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) expressed “shock” over the execution of Ajmal Kasab on Wednesday and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) said he was a hero and would “inspire” more attacks.
“There is no doubt that it is very shocking news and a big loss that a Muslim has been hanged on Indian soil,” Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told Reuters.
A senior LeT commander told Reuters by telephone, “He was a hero and will inspire other fighters to follow his path.”
(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM REUTERS)
Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2012.
With the news of the execution of Ajmal Kasab spreading like wildfire, members of the local and foreign media went into frenzy and arrived at his native village to get reactions from those who knew of him. But the residents were in no mood to comply.
Residents of Faridkot village, three kilometres away from Deepalpur Tehsil in Okara District, Punjab were infuriated when some cameramen and photographers tried to shoot footage and take pictures of the locality. They snatched a cameraman’s camera and chased away the journalists.
Ghulam Mustafa Wattoo, the former Nazim of the local Union Council, instructed the journalists not to approach the villagers for their comments or take pictures without his permission.
Suddenly, a person said to be Kasab’s brother fell unconscious and the journalists and cameramen tried to capture the incident. But the locals chased them away before they could record the incident.
They later established barriers and pickets on the road leading to the village from the main Deepalpur-Hujra Shah Muqeem Road.
Wattoo said the media tried to defame his village. He added that they have no links with Kasab and claimed that he was in fact not a resident of Faridkot.
A heavy contingent of police and intelligence agencies’ officials also reached the village immediately after his execution became public.
Rai Bashir Ahmed, a resident of the village, told The Express Tribune, “Ajmal Kasab was never a resident of this village and we do not know this man.” He stated that some elements tried to defame the village’s reputation by spreading false stories when Kasab was arrested.
While clarifying the attack on media personnel by the local residents, Ahmed said that they were unaware of the atmosphere and the culture of the village and started interviewing and capturing videos of the villagers without their permission.
Reactions
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) expressed “shock” over the execution of Ajmal Kasab on Wednesday and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) said he was a hero and would “inspire” more attacks.
“There is no doubt that it is very shocking news and a big loss that a Muslim has been hanged on Indian soil,” Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told Reuters.
A senior LeT commander told Reuters by telephone, “He was a hero and will inspire other fighters to follow his path.”
(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM REUTERS)
Published in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2012.