Killing of Pandits against tenets of Islam, Kashmir clergy say

Terming the latest targeted killing of a Kashmiri Pandit by militants in south Kashmir’s Shopian district as barbaric and against basic tenets of Islam, religious scholars in the Valley on Sunday demanded exemplary punishment to the culprits.

The religious scholars, including Imams and Khateebs while quoting Quranic verses said, “Killing any innocent amounts to killing of entire humanity. Islam doesn’t support any such act.”

Militants on Saturday evening gunned down 48-year-old Puran Krishan Bhat, who owned an apple orchard in Shopian district. His body was taken to Jammu for last rites. Bhat was the seventh Kashmiri Pandit killed since 2020.

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Kashmir’s Grand Mufti, Nasir ul Islam while condemning the latest killing demanded thorough investigation into the incident. “Killing of any innocent person is tantamount to killing the entire humanity. The incident should be thoroughly investigated and those found guilty should be punished,” he said.

Patron of Karwan-e-Islami, Sheikh Ghulam Rasool Hami said maximum condemnation should pour in against this inhuman act. “Islam doesn’t support any such act. Kashmir is a land of Sufi’s and Reshi’s which has never supported or justified innocent killings. We as a collective and responsible society strongly condemn the incident,” he said.

Reports said soon after the incident, local Muslim neighbours flooded Bhat’s house in Shopian to offer condolences and to express solidarity with the bereaved family.

The killing reopened old wounds and disrupted efforts to restore trust in the government, especially among members of the community who returned to the Valley as part of a government resettlement plan that gives jobs and housing.