Tribune News Service

Jammu/Rajouri, June 16

Mohammad Hanief, the grief-stricken and distraught father of Rifleman Aurangzeb, who was abducted and later killed by militants on Thursday, said his family was ready to sacrifice for the nation. He said the Tricolour must fly in Kashmir.Amid patriotic slogans, the braveheart was laid to rest with full Army honours at his native Salani village in Poonch district on Saturday. Despite the fact that it was Eid, hundreds of people came to the village from far-flung areas to attend his last rites. The body draped in the Tricolour was first airlifted to Jammu and then to the Sagra Army helipad near Aurangzeb’s village.“My son sacrificed his life for the nation and kept his promise. I was in the Army and my elder son is in the Army too. My third son is studying engineering in Mumbai. Our family is ready to sacrifice our lives for the nation. My sons were coming home for Eid, but those ‘lootere (referring to militants) didn’t let it happen,” he can be heard saying in a video that has gone viral on social media.Rifleman Aurangzeb of 44 Rashtriya Rifles was abducted and killed by militants in Pulwama district when he was on his way home to celebrate Eid on June 14. He was part of Major Rohit Shukla’s team, which eliminated top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Sameer Tiger. He had boarded a private vehicle for Shopian, from where he was supposed to go to Rajouri district. The terrorists intercepted the vehicle as it approached Kalampora and abducted the jawan.His bullet-riddled body was found by a team of police and the Army at Gussu village, about 10 km from Kalampora, in Pulwama district.In the video, the martyr’s father can also be seen asking an Army man why Pakistani flag was being unfurled in Kashmir. “Kashmir is ours. Why is Pakistan’s flag flying in Kashmir? Why not the Indian flag? The Indian flag should be hoisted here,” Hanief says in the video.On Friday, he had appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to avenge his son’s murder within 72 hours. “I give PM Modi 72 hours to avenge my son’s death or else we are ready to take revenge on our own. Kashmir is ours. We must not let Kashmir burn. Instead, we must eliminate the goons who are destroying the Valley,” said the ex-serviceman.Blaming the political class for the present situation in Kashmir, the dejected father said they were responsible for the death of soldiers to reap political benefits.He also blamed Pakistan for the killing of his son and said the neighbouring country was inflicting serious damage on India, which needed to be repulsed.At the Sagra Army ground, floral wreaths were laid by Javed Rana, MLA, Mendhar; Pardeep Sharma, MLC from Poonch; and senior Army and police officers.