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Kashmiri Teenagers Are Dying to Protect Militants
Image
The funeral procession last month of Numan Ashraf Bhat, center, who was fatally shot at age 16 while trying to prevent Indian forces from killing a militant.CreditTauseef Mustafa/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
By Sameer Yasir
Umar Majid Ganai, one of the area’s most wanted militants, had built a loyal youth following in Kashmir, a Himalayan region disputed between India and Pakistan where violence has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Numan, a gangly 16-year-old, was one of his most enthusiastic supporters — all of the photos downloaded on his phone were of Mr. Ganai.
So when Numan learned last month that Mr. Ganai was holed up in a tiny hamlet, Indian security forces closing in, he jumped on his motorbike and sped through the biting cold to reach the house where several militants were trapped.
Hundreds of Kashmiri civilians had already gathered. They were forming a protective ring to block Indian officers from advancing, part of a new and often fatal development in the decades-long struggle over Kashmir.
Kashmiri protesters take cover behind a tin sheet as they clash with Indian security forces in Srinagar in October.CreditDar Yasin/Associated Press
But along with the combatants’ deaths has come a new set of casualties: those of civilians who try to defend them. Gone are the days when the sight of an armored vehicle was enough to send entire villages into hiding. Now, civilians are rushing in front of the heavily armed trucks, using stones and their own bodies to try to block security forces.
Last week, seven civilians were killedafter inserting themselves between militants and advancing officers.
“This is a new phenomenon,” said Sheikh Showkat Hussain, an international law professor at the Central University of Kashmir. “Civilians have always supported militants, but never with such conviction.”
first report on atrocities committed in Kashmir, calling for an international investigation into reports of sexual violence and torture. Indian security forces were sharply criticized for using excessive force on protesters, and particularly for firing shotguns into crowds, with hundreds of people struck in the eyes by pellets, leaving many of them blind.
India has pushed back against criticism of its methods. After the release of the United Nations report, the government called its contents “fallacious, tendentious and motivated.” Last year, Bipin Rawat, the Indian Army chief, said that people who “obstruct our operations” would be “treated as over-ground workers” — in other words, collaborators.
Image
Villagers carrying the body of Burhan Muzaffar Wani, a charismatic militant leader, during his funeral procession in 2016.CreditDar Yasin/Associated Press
In 2016, the nature of civilian protests took a turn when Burhan Muzaffar Wani, a charismatic militant leader with a vast following on social media, was fatally shot in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir.
Numan Ashraf Bhat’s parents, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat and his wife, Naza Bano, at home. “If he would not have died like this, he would have died as a militant,” the father said.CreditShowkat Nanda for The New York Times
Numan Ashraf, a high school student, knew the risks of traveling those 15 miles to the village of Batgund, where Mr. Ganai was holed up in a house with other militants. His friendship with a wanted militant is a window into the growing civilian support for the homegrown fighters — and the deadly risks of such a relationship.
Numan, the oldest of three sons of a woodcutter, was born into a tense security situation and seemed acutely aware of it. Every summer, his family said, Numan and his friends dressed up as militants or Indian army officers, hid behind apple trees and fired fake wooden guns at each other.
Over the years, Numan also met Mr. Ganai, 27, several times, his friends said. They played cricket and went swimming in a pond together. During a chaotic funeral for another militant, Numan spotted Mr. Ganai and hugged him.
Nadeem Ashraf Bhat, center, the 14-year-old brother of Numan, has also tried to get between Indian forces and trapped militants.CreditShowkat Nanda for The New York Times
Young protesters, desperate to save the fighters, tried to drive the Indian forces back or create enough chaos to distract them to give the last militants a chance to slip away. It had happened before that insurgents melted into a sea of civilians and vanished right in front of security officers.
A relative visiting the grave of Numan Ashraf Bhat earlier this month.CreditShowkat Nanda for The New York Times
Over the next couple of days, thousands of mourners gathered for a marathon of funerals, one after the other, spreading the grief. In Balsoo, the streets were so clogged with people that prayers for Numan were divided into four sessions.
Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, tall and broad-shouldered, said he could not fault his son for trying to protect Mr. Ganai.
“The mind says if you jump into fire, you will burn,” he said. “But love doesn’t understand that. If he would not have died like this, he would have died as a militant.”
@sameeryasir.
In Kashmir, Blood and Grief in an Intimate War: ‘These Bodies Are Our Assets’
Aug. 1, 2018
Top U.N. Rights Official Seeks Inquiry on Kashmir Abuses
June 14, 2018
An Epidemic of ‘Dead Eyes’ in Kashmir as India Uses Pellet Guns on Protesters
Aug. 28, 2016
Kashmir Is Paralyzed by an ‘Adored’ Band of Militants
Nov. 14, 2016Sign[URL='https://defence.pk/pdf/nytimes://reader/id/100000006270971/article']Titles6h[/URL]https://defence.pk/pdf/nytimes://reader/id/100000006269231/article
https://defence.pk/pdf/nytimes://reader/id/100000006275178/article
Image
The funeral procession last month of Numan Ashraf Bhat, center, who was fatally shot at age 16 while trying to prevent Indian forces from killing a militant.CreditTauseef Mustafa/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
By Sameer Yasir
- Dec. 18, 2018
Umar Majid Ganai, one of the area’s most wanted militants, had built a loyal youth following in Kashmir, a Himalayan region disputed between India and Pakistan where violence has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Numan, a gangly 16-year-old, was one of his most enthusiastic supporters — all of the photos downloaded on his phone were of Mr. Ganai.
So when Numan learned last month that Mr. Ganai was holed up in a tiny hamlet, Indian security forces closing in, he jumped on his motorbike and sped through the biting cold to reach the house where several militants were trapped.
Hundreds of Kashmiri civilians had already gathered. They were forming a protective ring to block Indian officers from advancing, part of a new and often fatal development in the decades-long struggle over Kashmir.
Kashmiri protesters take cover behind a tin sheet as they clash with Indian security forces in Srinagar in October.CreditDar Yasin/Associated Press
But along with the combatants’ deaths has come a new set of casualties: those of civilians who try to defend them. Gone are the days when the sight of an armored vehicle was enough to send entire villages into hiding. Now, civilians are rushing in front of the heavily armed trucks, using stones and their own bodies to try to block security forces.
Last week, seven civilians were killedafter inserting themselves between militants and advancing officers.
“This is a new phenomenon,” said Sheikh Showkat Hussain, an international law professor at the Central University of Kashmir. “Civilians have always supported militants, but never with such conviction.”
first report on atrocities committed in Kashmir, calling for an international investigation into reports of sexual violence and torture. Indian security forces were sharply criticized for using excessive force on protesters, and particularly for firing shotguns into crowds, with hundreds of people struck in the eyes by pellets, leaving many of them blind.
India has pushed back against criticism of its methods. After the release of the United Nations report, the government called its contents “fallacious, tendentious and motivated.” Last year, Bipin Rawat, the Indian Army chief, said that people who “obstruct our operations” would be “treated as over-ground workers” — in other words, collaborators.
Image
Villagers carrying the body of Burhan Muzaffar Wani, a charismatic militant leader, during his funeral procession in 2016.CreditDar Yasin/Associated Press
In 2016, the nature of civilian protests took a turn when Burhan Muzaffar Wani, a charismatic militant leader with a vast following on social media, was fatally shot in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir.
Numan Ashraf Bhat’s parents, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat and his wife, Naza Bano, at home. “If he would not have died like this, he would have died as a militant,” the father said.CreditShowkat Nanda for The New York Times
Numan Ashraf, a high school student, knew the risks of traveling those 15 miles to the village of Batgund, where Mr. Ganai was holed up in a house with other militants. His friendship with a wanted militant is a window into the growing civilian support for the homegrown fighters — and the deadly risks of such a relationship.
Numan, the oldest of three sons of a woodcutter, was born into a tense security situation and seemed acutely aware of it. Every summer, his family said, Numan and his friends dressed up as militants or Indian army officers, hid behind apple trees and fired fake wooden guns at each other.
Over the years, Numan also met Mr. Ganai, 27, several times, his friends said. They played cricket and went swimming in a pond together. During a chaotic funeral for another militant, Numan spotted Mr. Ganai and hugged him.
Nadeem Ashraf Bhat, center, the 14-year-old brother of Numan, has also tried to get between Indian forces and trapped militants.CreditShowkat Nanda for The New York Times
Young protesters, desperate to save the fighters, tried to drive the Indian forces back or create enough chaos to distract them to give the last militants a chance to slip away. It had happened before that insurgents melted into a sea of civilians and vanished right in front of security officers.
A relative visiting the grave of Numan Ashraf Bhat earlier this month.CreditShowkat Nanda for The New York Times
Over the next couple of days, thousands of mourners gathered for a marathon of funerals, one after the other, spreading the grief. In Balsoo, the streets were so clogged with people that prayers for Numan were divided into four sessions.
Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, tall and broad-shouldered, said he could not fault his son for trying to protect Mr. Ganai.
“The mind says if you jump into fire, you will burn,” he said. “But love doesn’t understand that. If he would not have died like this, he would have died as a militant.”
@sameeryasir.
In Kashmir, Blood and Grief in an Intimate War: ‘These Bodies Are Our Assets’
Aug. 1, 2018
Top U.N. Rights Official Seeks Inquiry on Kashmir Abuses
June 14, 2018
An Epidemic of ‘Dead Eyes’ in Kashmir as India Uses Pellet Guns on Protesters
Aug. 28, 2016
Kashmir Is Paralyzed by an ‘Adored’ Band of Militants
Nov. 14, 2016Sign[URL='https://defence.pk/pdf/nytimes://reader/id/100000006270971/article']Titles6h[/URL]https://defence.pk/pdf/nytimes://reader/id/100000006269231/article
https://defence.pk/pdf/nytimes://reader/id/100000006275178/article
