Witness testifies against ‘Papi’ Kishtwari

Srinagar, June 20

A witness Tuesday testified before a court in Pulwama that Ghulam Mohammad Lone alias Papa Kishtwari was involved in the murder of a civilian, Abdul Samad Dar of Pampore, on January 6, 1996.
According to the witness, who deposed before Principal District & Sessions Pulwama, Kishtwari tied Dar with a tree on the fateful day and killed him.  

“It was Shab-e-Barat and as I left house for prayers, I saw Abdul Samad Dar being dragged out from his house which was set ablaze. He was then tied with a walnut tree by a rope and was killed before his family, without any rhyme and reason,” the witness told a court.
The court is hearing the case filed by Dar’s son Nissar Ahmad.

 

Papa Kishtwari is a notorious government gunman who hails from north Kashmir’s Bandipore district and was a tenant in Pampore. He owes his aka Kishtwari to his wife Hafeeza, who hails from Kishtwar district of Jammu region.

The residents of Pampore town, mostly businessmen and farmers, have determined to fight against Kishtwari by displaying a list of 23 persons who they say were civilians killed by him and his cronies.
Kishtwari was arrested in 2008 in a case pertaining to land grab of a local graveyard in 2008 and was later arrested when his cronies opened fire on protestors and injured two local residents.

Besides Abdul Samad Dar’s alleged killing, Kishtwari is also said to be involved in the murder of one Ali Mohammad Mir, 47, of Brein, Nishat who according to his son Zahoor Ahmad left home to buy some medicines but never returned.  

Next day Zahoor lodged Mir’s missing report at Nishat Police station.  “My father was mentally sound but police registered him as a mentally weak person in missing report,” Zahoor said.   

According to Zahoor, his father was kidnapped and subsequently killed by Kishtwari.  “Ali Mohammed Mir is missing since the day he was abducted and is buried in some mass or unmarked grave in Kashmir,” Zahoor added.

Some of Kishtwari’s other victims are: Peerzada Ahmad (student), Sheikh Ghulam Rasool Azad (general secretary Auqaf), Shakeela Bano (housewife), Fayaz Ahmad Wani (contractor), Muhammad Shafi Ganie (driver), Irshad Ahmad Bhat (labourer) and Muhammad Shaban Dar (government employee).