Lawyer shot dead in heart of Srinagar
Qadri had launched a political party and named himself president
Kashmiri lawyer Babar Qadri was shot and critically injured by unknown assailants in central Srinagar Thursday evening. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
The police said 35year- old Qadri, who shot to prominence mainly due to frequent appearances on primetime TV shows and debates on Kashmir, was targeted by suspected militants in Srinagar’s Hawal. “The gunmen believed to be terrorists shot him from point- blank range, killing him instantly”, said a police officer.
She r-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences’ Dr Farooq Jan said Qadri received a single bullet wound and was brought dead to hospital. He had earlier launched a political party called All JK People’s Justice Party and named himself its president.
Kashmiri lawyer Babar Qadri was shot and critically wounded by unknown assailants in central Srinagar on Thursday evening. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
The police said that 35year- old Qadri, who shot to prominence mainly for frequently appearing on prime time shows and debates on Kashmir on various TV channels, was targeted by suspected militants in Srinagar’s Hawal area.
“The gunmen, believed to be terrorists, shot him from point blank range, killing him instantly,” said a police officer in charge of the area.
He was, however, taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead. Confirming it, medical superintendent of Sher- iKashmir Institute of
Medical Sciences ( SKIMS) Dr Farooq Jan said Qadri had received a single bullet wound and was brought dead to the hospital.
Sometime ago, Qadri, father of two minor daughters, had launched a political party called All JK People’s Justice Party and named himself its president. The Kashmir High Court Bar Association ( KHCBA) had suspended his membership for showing “indiscipline.”
Earlier this month, the bar council refused to revoke his suspension reportedly on technical grounds.
Reacting to it, Qadri had, in a statement here, said: “When I formed a ‘ Lawyers Club of Kashmir,’ I was accused of dancing on the tunes of Indian agencies. Now when I work for unity and want to ( re) join, the passage is blocked for me.”
On Wednesday, he wrote on his Facebook wall, “Bar needs a moderate, but intelligent leading group. We need good speakers, good debating persons who can talk on our behalf. We need a person who can confront a judge or an official of administration. Yes, we got enough exploited by emotional blackmail, coercion, and threats to life which was a norm that we were made used to. Now the change is on plate, go and have it. The traditional DOPE LALLAN should now be buried down alongside Covid- 19.”
Former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted, “The assassination of Babar Qadri this evening is tragic & I unequivocally condemn it. The sense of tragedy is all the more because he warned of the threat. Sadly, his warning was his last tweet. @ BabarTruth.”
Several members of the KHCBA have condemned Qadri’s killing and said the dissent on issues with him was a healthy sign as it could help the fraternity in many ways towards seeking justice for the aggrieved. They have demanded an impartial probe by credible people or organisations into his murder.
Sometime ago, Qadri had launched a political party called All JK People’s Justice Party and named himself its president. KHCBA had suspended his membership for showing ‘ indiscipline’.