Zubin’s music can’t Restore my lost world: Strife-weary Kashmiri tells Steiner Srinagar: “I no longer enjoy music as my world has been destroyed. If Mehta’s music could restore my lost world, I would have had no opposition to it,” said Shakeel Ahanger, who lost his family members in 2009 Shopian killings. He wanted to convey the message to German Ambassador Michael Steiner, the man behind Zubin Mehta’s music concert. Ahanger’s wife Neelofar Jan (22) and sister Asiya (17) were found dead on May 30, 2009, at Rambiara Nallah in Shopian. “I want to tell the Ambassador that my world has been destroyed and it is not going to be restored by a music event at the shores of Dal Lake at Shalimar Bagh,” he said while his son held a banner seeking justice for his mother and aunt. The victims’ family and other residents in Shopian had then alleged that the women were “first raped and then murdered”. However, the Central Bureau of Investigation had described the deaths as “accidental drowning” in its charge sheet before the court. Ahanger along with his son today visited Haqeeqat-e-Kashmir, an event held parallel to Zubin Mehta’s concert, at Municipal Park here. “It was very difficult to reach the venue as there were a lot of restrictions in place by the government,” Ahanger said. “I feel this (Zubin Mehta) event goes against the killing of my wife and sister,” Ahanger said while questioning the logic behind holding the musical concert. To reports that the Mehta’s concert was being projected as event to bring peace to Kashmir, Shakeel claimed that “thousands of victim families” like his could not relate themselves with the event. “This event is aimed at hiding the truth about Kashmir. The truth about Kashmir is that my wife and sister are yet to get justice,” he said. He said he expected representatives of Germany and other European countries, who were attending the show, to “at least talk about the plight of people in Kashmir”. “If they had real concern for the people of Kashmir, they should have also demanded justice for victims like me,” he said, adding that he had come to the venue on his own will.
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 04:27:10 +0000
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