Late on Saturday night, May 18, terrorists carried out two separate shooting incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the death of a former BJP Sarpanch and injuries to a couple from Jaipur, according to police reports.
In the first incident, the Kashmir Zone Police identified the deceased former Sarpanch as Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh. Terrorists attacked Sheikh in the Heerpora area of Shopian district. Following the attack, the area was immediately cordoned off by security forces.
Sheikh was quickly evacuated and taken to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir confirmed, “BJP leader and ex-Sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh succumbed to his injuries after being fired upon by terrorists in Heerpora in South Kashmir’s Shopian.”
In a separate incident in the Yannar area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, a couple from Jaipur was injured. The police reported that terrorists opened fire on Farha, a resident of Jaipur, and her spouse, Tabrez. Both were evacuated and transported to the hospital for treatment.
Security forces have cordoned off the areas in Anantnag and Shopian and initiated search operations to apprehend the attackers.
These back-to-back attacks coincide with the ongoing campaigning for the parliamentary polls in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency. Polling in Baramulla is scheduled for May 20 in the fifth round of elections.
Political parties across Jammu and Kashmir, including the National Conference, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have condemned the attacks.
Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, said on X, “While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a (former) sarpanch in Hirpora, Shopian – the timing of these attacks given that the south election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially keeping in mind normalcy claims touted by GOI (Government of India).”
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah also condemned the terror attacks.
“They have said that such acts of brutality remain a serious impediment to achieving long-term peace in J-K. They urged all communities to come together in these challenging times and support efforts towards lasting harmony. Their thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult period,” a statement from the party said.
The BJP in a statement said, “We strongly condemn the killing of ex-sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh in Hirpora, Shopian, South Kashmir, by terrorists today.”
“Aijaz Ahmad was a brave soldier of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP firmly stands with the family of Aijaz Ahmad, who lost his life in this terror attack,” it said.
