Srinagar: Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has paid tributes to the two Hizbul Mujahideen militants who killed decorated Indian army officer Colonel MN Rai and head constable Sanjeev Kumar Singh during an encounter in south Kashmir’s Tral area this week.
 
Geelani, chairman of the hardline Hurriyat group, sent a high-level party delegation to meet the two Kashmiri youths’ relatives on Wednesday, while saying their “sacred blood” would not go in vain and India must accept the ground realities.
 
“Due to the rigid and stubborn approach of the Indian government, the youth are opting for gun instead of pen and this policy is costing precious human lives in the region,” said the 84-year-old in an emailed statement from Delhi where he is receiving medical care.
 
One of the two slain militants, Abid Khan, was the son of a head constable with Jammu and Kashmir police. Sources said Khan’s maternal uncle was a militant too, while his cousin, Ishfaq Ahmad Khan, was arrested last year after he stabbed a policeman and tried to snatch his rifle.
 
“The violent path adopted by Kashmiri youth is not any act of hobby nor is it the result of unemployment. They are the students of different colleges and universities who are fully aware about the historical perspective and the tragedy of Kashmir,” Geelani said. “The sacred blood will never go in vain. India has to accept the ground realities.”
 
Referring to the 2008 and 2010 street agitations in Kashmir, Geelani said, “These children have witnessed the people’s revolutions in which millions of people came out on the roads and demanded their right to self- determination and reminded India about forgotten promises.”
 
Syed Salahuddin, chairman of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)-based United Jihad Council, also joined Valley separatists in paying tributes to the two militants.
 
“The two fighters fought bravely and demonstrate the fact that every Mujahid (warrior) of Hizb is committed to the Kashmir cause and is ready to sacrifice his precious life,” he said.