Indian Kashmir mourns heart-wrenching Peshawar attack

Kashmir’s pro-freedom leaders and students organise funeral prayers in absentia for deceased children

The people of Indian-administered Kashmir strongly condemned the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) barbaric attack in Peshawar which claimed over 130 lives and injured more than 120 people.

Leaders – cutting across all political and religious lines have also vehemently condemned the attack on the school children and have shown solidarity with the people of Pakistan.

Kashmir’s pro-freedom leaders and students organised funeral prayers, which were held in Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid, in absentia for the deceased children.

These prayers were led by the head cleric of Kashmir, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, in the University of Kashmir where hundreds of students participated.

Mirwaiz Umer condemned the attack and said those elements who committed the act are inhuman and are barbarians. Murderers who target innocent school going children can never be well-wishers of Islam and Pakistan.

“[I am] deeply shocked and saddened by this most inhumane act. Strongly condemn attack on school children our prayers and thoughts with the families,” he wrote on twitter.

While expressing his solidarity with the families of the deceased children, Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani said there is no need to prove that people involved in such cowardly acts are in actual the biggest enemies of Islam and Muslims.

“The attacks are inhuman, and those involved must be punished severely.”

Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack was ‘inhuman’ and ‘barbaric’, adding that words were not enough to describe the nature of the perpetrators.

“What terrible, heart breaking images of the attack in #Peshawar. Inhuman and barbaric don’t even begin to describe the perpetrators,” Omar tweeted.

Khurram Parvaiz, a human rights activist, said, “Those inciting, inspiring and defending TTP must be feeling fulfilled today after around 100 children were killed by them. They must know that TTP will soon perish and Pakistan will live.”

In the past few years, pro-TTP graffiti has cropped up in certain parts of the valley, and slogans in favour of the TTP were occasionally raised by some members of the youth during pro-freedom protests. However, after yesterday’s attack in Peshawar, serious questions have been raised against the role of the TTP in Indian-administered Kashmir.

“This should be an eye opener for those people who seek to help groups such as the TTP for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. Involvement of such groups in the Kashmir conflict can only lead to terrorism and bloodshed, keeping the basic issue unsolved,” said Qadri Inzamam, a mass communication student.

Feroz, a student of Kashmir University while condemning the attack said, “We as Kashmiris feel the pain of the innocent killings as we have suffered for decades. There are certain provisions laid by Islam for war. The heinous incident proves that the TTP are not following them, and that their stance and demands are totally rubbish and hoax.”

After offering funeral prayers in absentia, pro-Pakistan slogans were raised and black flags were hoisted in solidarity with the people of Pakistan.