Shujaat Bukhari laid to rest, thousands attend funeral

Srinagar: Syed Shujaat Bukhari, senior Journalist and Editor Rising Kashmir, was buried with moist eyes at his native village in Kreeri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Friday.
Shujaat, editor-in-chief of Rising Kashmir newspaper, was killed by unknown gunmen in Press enclave yesterday.
Amid intermittent rains, thousands of people from all walks of life participated in the funeral.
Finance minister Altaf Bukhari, tourism minister Tasaduk Hussain Mufti and other council of ministers, former chief minister Omar Abdullah, Pro-freedom leader Mohammad Yasin Malik and Zaffar Akbar Bhat participated in the funeral.
Observers said it was probably the biggest funeral procession the village had seen. There were traffic snarls in the area as the number of mourners swelled.
Shujaat Bukahri and his two personal security officers (PSOs) were shot dead by unknown gunmen at press enclave in the heart of Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital.
Bukhari (50) was gunned down soon after he got into his car from his office at Press Enclave in the city centre, Lal Chowk, for an Iftaar party.
Bukhari was instrumental in organising several conferences for peace in the Kashmir Valley. He was also part of the Track II process with Pakistan. (GNS)