A civilian, who was the brother of a militant operating from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), was shot dead by unknown gunmen in north Kashmir’s Kupwara on Tuesday.
The victim was identified as Mukhtar Ahmad Shah, 42, from Kupwara’s Karnah. Officials said gunshots were reported from Haridal area during the night and later the lifeless body of Shah was spotted by the police and the Army.
“The body was shifted to a hospital in Tangdhar for necessary medico-legal procedures. Subsequent to the post-mortem examination, the body was handed over to the family for last rites. A case has been registered under appropriate Sections, and a thorough investigation has been initiated,” the police said.
The police suspect that the deceased was killed by “some rival narcotics smuggling gang members or rival terror operatives”.
“Shah was a high-profile narcotics smuggler and a person of significant interest in the region. He had been found involved in two cases of narcotics and weapons smuggling in the recent past and had confessed to orchestrating transportation of substantial quantities of narcotics and weaponry across the border,” officials said.
His association with his brother, Sadiq Shah, a prominent figure as both a launching commander and a supplier of narcotics and weapons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, underscores the depth of his involvement in these illicit activities, they added.
“Sadiq is himself chargesheeted in narco-terror cases and happens to be a top terrorist commander based in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir,” officials said.
At least six other members of the Mukhtar’s family are “currently facing charges in connection to these criminal activities”.
