Protests held in J&K over killing
Srinagar, Feb 7: Street protests erupted across several parts of Kashmir on Saturday as members of the Shia Muslim community condemned the killing of worshippers in a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
The demonstrations followed the attack on Friday, when a suicide bomber struck the Khadijah-tul-Kubra Imambargah in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during Friday prayers, killing at least 31 worshippers and injuring more than 100 others. Pakistani authorities later said the number of injured had risen to 169.
Angry protests were reported from Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam, Bandipora, Anantnag, and Jammu from Friday evening onward. In areas with sizeable Shia populations, including Pattan in Baramulla and Shadipora in Bandipora.
“At a time when Muslims across the globe are under attack, Shia Muslims are being targeted in Pakistan. What could be more shameful and condemnable?” said a protester in Pattan.
Kashmir’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, strongly condemned the bombing, calling it deeply painful and disturbing. “The heinous suicide bombing attack at an imambargah in Islamabad is profoundly distressing. Bloodshed in such a manner, especially at a place of worship, is a moment of deep pain and reflection for the entire ummah,” he said in a statement.
Aga Syed Hassan al-Mousavi al-Safvi, president of the Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian Jammu and Kashmir, described the attack as a “barbaric assault on the core tenets of Islam and humanity.” He demanded “immediate and decisive action from the Pakistani state to ensure the safety and protection of its Shia citizens.”
The All Jammu and Kashmir Shia Association, headed by Shia cleric and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference leader Imran Ansari, also organized protests. A spokesperson for the group said demonstrations were held to condemn Pakistan for the “brutal blast at Imambargah Khadijat-ul-Kubra” and to demand swift action against those responsible.
Mansoor Ansari, a Shia cleric and head of Ittihadul Muslimeen, said the organization strongly opposed “such acts of violence” and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.
In Baramulla district, members of the Shia community staged a protest on the Srinagar–Baramulla National Highway at Hanjiwera on Friday. Demonstrators marched along the highway, raising slogans against Pakistan’s establishment and expressing solidarity with those killed in the attack.
Addressing the gathering, one protester said attacks on Shia Muslims in Pakistan were not isolated incidents but part of a pattern spanning more than a decade. He alleged that the violence was aimed at erasing Shia identity and warned that the community would continue to resist hatred and extremism.
