Indian troops kill Kashmiri man in front of grandson

Indian troops shot dead an unarmed Kashmiri civilian in front of his three-year-old grandson in Occupied Kashmir’s Sopore district on Wednesday.

The heartbreaking pictures that surfaced showed the boy sitting on the body of his grandfather, named as Bashir Ahmed. He was later forcibly taken away by the Indian army and police personnel as they tried to calm the little boy down. They even offered him sweets to turn his attention away from his dead granddad.

The Indian security forces then gave the incident a different colour saying a police head constable was also killed while three security personnel were injured during a gunbattle with unidentified armed men in Sopore earlier on Wednesday.

The Indian security forces further said that the area has been cordoned off and an operation has been launched to nab the attackers.

Later, relatives of Bashir Ahmed staged an anti-India protest and shouted pro-freedom and anti-India slogans at Bashir's home during his funeral in Srinagar on Wedneday.

Hundreds of angry residents in Indian-Occupied Kashmir protested accusing the Indian government forces of killing a man, while his grandson stood by.

Indian troops martyr two more youth

Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiris in Sopore town and Rajouri district, Wednesday. These killings raised the number of martyred youth to 7 since Monday.

The troops martyred a youth in a fake encounter during a military operation near Keri area of Rajouri district.

The troops had killed five youth during violent military operations in Waghama and Runipora areas of Islamabad district in the last two days.

On the other hand, an encounter broke out between the troops and youth after Indian soldiers launched a cordon and search operation in Brantal Tral area of Pulwama district.

India can destroy regional peace: Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday that India can sabotage regional peace to divert attention from its internal failures.

Talking to Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan in Islamabad, he said Pakistan has been continuously apprising the global community about peace and security in the region. He underscored that durable peace and stability in Afghanistan are inevitable for the development and progress of the region.

The foreign minister said Pakistan played a reconciliatory role in the Afghan peace process with utmost sincerity, which was commended by the entire world. He expressed the resolve that the country will continue its efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.

They also exchanged views on the Afghan peace process and regional peace and stability.

Besides, Qureshi in a statement said India is interfering in Balochistan at the same time it is also adversely affecting peace efforts in Afghanistan. He added he apprised US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad about Indian intentions.

He said terrorists involved in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) attack wanted to take people hostage, but Pakistani security personnel successfully foiled their bid. He maintained India wants incidents of terrorism to divert world attention. He said it is India that orchestrated the drama of Pulwama attack.