The grieving family members of Subedar Mohammad Ashraf Mir at Maidanpora on Sunday. Tribune Photo: Amin War

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 11

A pall of gloom has descended on the villages of four Kashmiri soldiers who were martyred in a fidayeen attack at the Sunjuwan Army camp in Jammu.Subedar Mohammad Ashraf Mir of Maidanpora, Lolab, and Havildar Habibullah Qureshi of Batapora Hyhama, both from the frontier Kupwara district in north Kashmir; Lance Naik Mohammmad Iqbal Sheikh from Nageenpora, Tral, Pulwama, and Lance Naik Manzoor Ahmed from Kulgam district, were killed in the gunfight. Lance Naik Iqbal’s father was also killed in the attack.As the families waited for the bodies of the soldiers, residents of adjacent areas rushed to the villages of the martyrs.At Maidanpora, over 110 km from Srinagar, villagers started visiting the Mir family after the news about his death in the Jammu attack spread.“We came to know that he died on Saturday,” Subedar Mir’s father Ghulam Mohideen Mir said, adding that he was the only bread-earner of the family.Mir pitched for dialogue between India and Pakistan to stop the bloodshed in J&K.“Innocent people are getting killed each day and this should stop. They should talk and resolve issues,” Mohideen said.Subedar Mir, 43, was home when fidayeen barged into his quarter. A family member said militants shot him dead as he was preparing for pre-dawn prayers. His three children and wife, too, were at the quarter when he was shot dead on Saturday.The family of Havildar Qureshi at Batapora in Kupwara is also in mourning. A few family members were upset with the Army for not disclosing them about the death of the soldiers.“We came to know about (the death) through the media on Saturday. There was no news from the Army even today,” said another relative.In Tral, the Sheikh family was waiting for two bodies. Lance Naik Iqbal, 32, and his father were killed in the gunfight. He is survived by his wife and an infant son.

CM enquires about injured in hospital Jammu: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visited Army Hospital, Satwari, on Saturday evening and enquired about the condition of those injured in the Sunjuwan Army camp attack. The Chief Minister met the injured and wished them speedy recovery. She also interacted with the doctors attending to the injured. She promised the injured all support of the government. TNS