Parents’ plea gets Hizbul commander another shot at life

Shabir Ahmad Bhat, a Hizbul Mujahideen commander, walked out safe after engaging the CRPF and the J-K Police in a bloody battle for hours. It was, however, not victory against the forces that won him his life. It was one last minute call to his parents that saved him.

Bhat, fearing the house in which he was holed in was about to be blown up, had called up his parents to save himself. The CRPF and J-K Police had cordoned off the house in Handwara. They relented after Bhat’s parents pleaded for his safety. “This is a rare case that somebody is accepted as a living person after such an exchange of fire for hours. Ahmad’s parents said he wanted to live and we gave him a chance. It is just an effort to save a life,” said SP, Handwara, Dr Haseeb Mughal.

According to him, Bhat alias Imran alias Junaid, son of Mohammed Abdullah Bhat, a resident of Maratgam in Handwara was holed up inside a house at Khan Pulwari Mawal in Handwara, when the area police and CRPF cordoned off the area after a tip off. As the inmates of the house came out and the police prepared to blow it up, as is norm in all such cases, Bhat’s parents reached the spot. One AK 47 and some ammunition were recovered from his possession.