Despite mother’s plea, Shoiab treaded the path of his slain father
Kulgam: A Hizb militant out of two killed in Central Kashmir’s Budgam encounter on Wednesday, like many other militant sons, didn’t respond to the repeated home calling appeals from his mother.
A BSC IT fifth semester student at Dehradun, Shoaib Mohammad lone who had joined militant ranks in September last year was killed in an encounter along with his associate in Chadoora area of Budgam on Wednesday morning. Shoiab was also the son of a popular slain militant commander.
Shoaib, son of Late Muhammad Ashraf Lone of Bumrath village in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district had gone missing from Dehradun where he was pursuing BSC (IT) in ethical hacking at ‘Alphine Institute of Management and Technology Dehradun’ in September last year.
Later, his photo carrying a weapon went viral on social media, about 22 days after he went missing.
Shoaib went missing on 20 September from Dehradun where he had asked college authorities to give him a leave as he has to visit his ailing mother, however, that wasn’t true, said his cousin.
“We called him but his cell phone was constantly on switched off mode and later we lodged a missing complaint,” he said, adding that Shoaib was a bright student and topped in every class from school days.
His mother had repeatedly urged all groups to return him back however, he didn’t return.
In a video message, she had said, “I will consume poison if my son doesn’t return as I don’t have any other family member besides him” but Shoaib didn’t respond to appeals of her mother till he was killed in Budgam.
Pertinently, Shoaib was the son of a popular militant commander Mohammad Ashraf Lone alias Nazir Kashmiri who was killed in encounter in Nonmai village of Kulgam district in year 1995.
Belonging to economically weak family, Shoaib was brought up by her mother despite facing many problems after the killing of her husband, locals said.
Muneera Banoo, mother of slain Shoaib was designing clothes so that Shoiab could continue his studies however, he opted the other path, they said.
Due to poor condition of the family after the death of Ashraf, her elder son Khubaib was adopted by her maternal aunt and Muneera was living with Shoaib but he too left her, they said.
Since Shoaib left home, Muneera was mostly confined to bed and was hardly coming out of her room as she was in utter shock, they said.
Meanwhile, thousands of people participated in the last rites of slain Shoaib who was laid to rest after multiple rounds of funeral prayers.
Eyewitnesses said that braving rain, thousands of people including women and children participated in his funeral and he was laid to rest amid massive pro-freedom sloganeering.
Authorities had snapped internet services in Kulgam district as ‘a precautionary measure’, which were restored after 3 days on Tuesday evening following the gunfight in Kellam area of the district in which five local militants were killed.
Jahangeer Ganaie
