ISLAMABAD: Observers have said that the year 2016 has left behind a trail of memories the people and rulers would not forget easily.
According to KMS, this was the most tumultuous year that saw multiple changes in guard followed by a complete breakdown of law and order situation. The mass uprising started from July 8 after the killing of HizbulMujahideen commanderBurhanMuzafaarWaniand his two comrades.
The year began on an ominous note when the puppet chief minister of the territory, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed died in a New Delhi hospital on January 7. His daughter, Mehbooba Mufti after a meeting with Prime Minister NarendaModi in New Delhi, finally agreed to step into her father’s shoes and took oath on April 4.
Mehbooba was barely two weeks in office when four civilians including a woman were killed in north Kashmir’s Handwara town after a soldier molested a local schoolgirl. The incident triggered widespread anger and began the negative image building of the new chief minister.
On July 8, a game changing event took place when forces shot dead BurhanWani, the most popular commander of HizbulMujahideenwho had used social media to attract youth. Tens of thousands of people came out on streets to protest against the killing. More than 200,000 people took part in his funeral prayers at Tral in south Kashmir. This began a tumultuous phase in the recent history of Kashmir when forces used excessive force to quell the uprising.
By the end of October, over 100 civilians were killed and over 16,000 were injured by Indian forces. The shocking part of the anti-uprising campaign was the unbridled use of pellet guns that ruptured the eyes of hundreds of people including teenagers and women.
At Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar, more than 120 youth were operated upon after being hit by pellets in their eyes. Some of them like 14-year-old InshaManzoor lost their vision permanently.
