Kashmir Bar Association says “slain advocate was no political activist”

Srinagar/ April, 17: While condemning the use of force against students, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association Srinagar Monday appealed to all Human Rights Organizations of the World, more particularly, the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC) to take sou-moto cognizance of the matter and initiate action against all those who have been and are responsible in the killing, maiming and blinding of Kashmiri people ever since from 1947.
As per a statement, the Bar Association in its meeting took a serious note of the injuries inflicted on students across Kashmir. “Students were protesting peacefully against the use of force by police and other government forces on the male and female students at Pulwama Degree College on Saturday, in which more than 60 students got critically injured, amongst whom some had to be shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment and one of whom is still battling for his life in the hospital.”
Meanwhile, a delegation of District Bar Association, Shopian headed by its Secretary and accompanied by other Office bearers of the Association, called on the members of J&K High Court Bar Association Srinagar. “During the course of meeting, the members of the delegation apprised the members of the High Court Bar Association, the circumstances under which Advocate Imtiyaz Ahmad Khan was killed by unidentified gunmen on Sunday at Pinjoora Shopian after coming back from a Mosque where he had gone to offer Isha Prayers,” reads the statement.
While quoting the delegation, the Bar association has informed, “The said advocate was not associated with any political party and even though he had worked as Public Prosecutor in the Court of Sessions Judge, Shopian, for some time but from the year 2014 he was discharging his professional duties simply as a private lawyer.” “They also stated that he was a staunch supporter of the cause of people of Kashmir and through his posts he had requested the people to be careful, so that they are not deceived by any Pro-Indian Politician anymore. The Bar members told the delegation that Shopian Bar should constitute a team and enquire at their own level, the causes and motive of killing of Advocate Imtiyaz Ahmad Khan and in this regard also contact the Pro-Freedom Leadership and apprise them about the result of their enquiry.”
Pertinently the members of Bar association had suspended their professional work for the day, in view of the killing of their colleague.
The association has also urged the entire legal fraternity to remain ‘united’ in this moment of grief, and also prayed for the departed soul.