Prime suspect of Shujaat Bukhari’s assassination Naveed Jatt killed, says DGP, will approach Pak to take his body

DGP added that Jatt who was active since long in the Valley was killed and was involved in number of attacks of forces and was also the prime suspect in Shujaat Bukhari’s killing.

Asked whether there are any details about Shujaat’s killing, DGP said, “Arresting Naveed alive could have helped in getting further details into the case but since Naveed was killed in the gunfight the things were not clear but the investigation is still going on over the assassination of Shujaat Bukhari and the details will be made public once the investigation is completed,” police said.

DGP said Naveed’s killing was ‘a big success’. He added that the civilian atrocities, abduction, killings in South Kashmir were being done on his directions.

He said that the police is targeting the top commanders and Jatt was also one among them.

However, he said that the militant recruitments has decreased as militants have failed to make any recruitment from last two months, which DGP said is indication that people are getting aware about the futility of violence.

He also added that besides recruitments, the stone pelting incidents have also decreased in the Valley, ‘which is proof of peoples’ cooperation with the forces’.

“We are trying to ensure the operations without any collateral damage. The stone pelting incidents have decreased but there are some incidents still there, therefore I appeal to the youth to stay away from encounter sites and stone pelting,” he said.

DGP also appealed the militants to sun the path of violence, saying that “I appeal to the militants to shun the path of violence,” he said, adding that government is seriously pursuing the rehabilitation policy for those who have shunned the path of violence.

Asked how militants manage to post photos on social media, he said, “Everybody is trying to mark his presence so do the militants. They are positing photos and videos on social media to motivate more youth to join the militant ranks through their videos and photos,” he said, adding that the social media is accessible to all.

However, he while reacting on recent photograph of Umar Majeed Ganie of Hizb alias Hanzala that was taken near Ganta Ghar (Clock Tower), said that that picture has been captured a long time back and was not a fresh picture.

“They (militants) posted that picture with an aim to motivate more youth to join militant ranks,” DGP added.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday said that top Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Naveed Jatt was killed along with his associate in a gunfight in Budgam.

A police spokesperson said Naveed Jatt alias Hanzallah affiliated with LeT was killed in the gunfight that raged since early Wednesday.

According to the police, Jatt was involved in the assassination of Rising Kashmir newspaper’s editor and journalist Shujaat Bukhari, who was assassinated on June 14 outside his office in Srinagar, a day before Eid and few minutes before Iftaar (breaking of Fast during Ramzan).

Bukhari succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead on arrival.

On November 23, police claimed that one of the six militants killed in a gunfight with armed forces in Sutkipora area of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Azad Malik, was also accused of having been involved in the assassination.

In the gunfight, three army men were wounded.

(With inputs from KNS)