Gun salute, thousands at Kashmiri militant Fayaz Ahamed's funeral; no one except family mourns death of brave J&K cop

Srinagar: In a grim reminder of prevailing situation in Kashmir, thousands attended the funeral of a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Fayaz Ahmad Aishwar who was killed in a retaliatory action by the J&K police in Mir Bazaar area on Saturday night.

According to PTI, a group of militants, carrying arms in their hands, gave a gun salute to their slain associate during his funeral in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Sunday.

On Saturday night, militants had gunned down three civilians and a policeman in Kulgam.  

However, barely 10 km away,  Azhar Mehmood - the policeman who showed exemplary courage and sacrificed his life to repulse a terror attack - was mourned by just his family and a few colleagues.

Azhar Mehmood and three civilians were killed in the attack carried out by Fayaz and three other terrorists in Anantnag on Saturday. The policemen came under attack while they were regulating traffic after a road accident. 

Reports claimed that the terrorists first tried to snatch away the guns from the policemen. Mehmood, who had grabbed a terrorist by the throat, died when the other terrorists opened fire.

Police said Fayaz Ahmad Aishwar - who was involved in the attack on the Border Security Forces camp in Udhampur in 2015 - carried a reward of Rs. 2 lakh on his head. 

Ahmed was active from last two years and was involved in many subversive activities, a police spokesperson said.

"He remained active in his local area and motivated youth to join militant ranks. He used to provide logistic support for safe passage of militants and their associates," the said.'

A pistol along with a magazine, eight bullets and a grenade were recovered from the slain militant, he said.

Last year, the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani had seen five-month long unrest in the Kashmir Valley. 

Since then, South Kashmir has seen a groundswell of support for terrorists who have been openly roaming the countryside. 

The police say more than the terrorists, the public support for them is a bigger problem for the security forces who have frequently encountered resistance from crowds while conducting anti-terror operations. 

On Thursday, security forces carried out a huge anti-terror operation - monitored from air by helicopters and unmanned vehicles - across two dozen villages in Shopian. At its fag end, a sudden strike by terrorists killed one civilian and injured two soldiers. Even on that day, the forces had encountered resistance from locals in at least four villages.