Kashmir: Tamheed Shujaat Bhukari, son of Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari who was shot dead on June 14, has written an emotional tribute in memory of his father, which was published in Thursday’s edition of Rising Kashmir. His father Shujaat Bukhari was the editor of the paper before he was slain.
Recalling the day of June 14, when he and his family heard the “horrible news” of his father’s death, Tamheed wrote, “On reaching the hospital…I heard someone say, ‘He is no more’. The moment I heard it, my legs started trembling but I was still hoping against all hopes. A thousand thoughts flooded my mind. May be, he is still in the operation theatre? May be, he will come running towards me and hug me? However, his fate had befallen, his soul ascended.”
A Class 10 student in the Kashmir Valley School, Tamheed wrote: “Papa would never tell us about the help he extended to scores of families…He worked for peace his entire life and was martyred for it. He believed that one day Kashmir would become free from innocent killings.”
It must be recalled that Shujaat Bukhari, editor of ‘Rising Kashmir’ was shot dead outside his office in Srinagar, as he was leaving his Press Enclave office for an Iftar party.