Author: ValleyObserver

Srinagar: Upholding the age-old tradition of communal harmony, the residents of Khanqah-e-Sokhta Nawakadal in Shaher-e-Khaas on Saturday 16th May 2020 help to performed last rites of a Kashmir Pandit who belonged to lone family of the minority community in the area.

Pall of gloom descended the area when breathed his last on Saturday morning. Omkar Pajnu is survived by his son and his family. People from majority community called an emergency meeting of management committees of Masjid Sharief Khanqah-e-Sokhta and Masjid Sharief Syed Muhammad Mosvi (RA) to finalise arrangements for last rites.

Even though people were staying at their respective homes due to COVID19 pandemic,

however they rushed to the house of bereaved family and shared their grief. Noted Islamic scholar Moulana Masroor Abass Ansari, who resides in the area, was among the first to reach out to the bereaved family. Moulana Ansari finalized arrangements for the last rites.

The Muslims participated in the funeral procession and accompanied the Pandit family to the cremation ground at Karan Nagar. After performing last rites of the deceased, the locals spend the day with the bereaved family.

“Islam teaches us to maintain brotherhood and harmony. It was our duty to reach out to our Pandit neighbours in this hour of grief,” said Imams of both Masjids at Nawa Kadal.

“We have shared joys and sorrows with Kashmir Pandits. We feel like our own family member has passed today,” said Tariq Ahmad Mir of Khanqah-e-Sokhta.

The bereaved family expressed gratitude to their Muslim neighbours. “We did not feel that we are alone in the area. It is only because of our Muslim neighbours that we could bear this irreparable loss. We will never forget that they shared our grief during the pandemic,” said Susheel Pajnu, son of the deceased.

Pertinently, few years ago, the inhabitants of Khanqah-e-Sokhta had also help to performed last rites of late Pajnu’s wife.

BUDGAM: Anjuman e sharie Shian Jammu and Kashmir is a socio-religious organisation founded by Late Ayatollah Aga Syed Yousuf (ra) in 1940s. The organisation is currently headed by Hajutull islam Aga Syed Mohammad Hadi. The organisation has been working right from the day the deadly Corona virus made its entry into Kashmir.

The volunteers of the organisation have been involved in sanitation drive across Kashmir including interiors of district Budgam, Baramulla, Bandipora and Srinagar covering more then 300 villages. Some major mosques, Imam-baras and government offices including hospitals were coverd during the drive.

The organisation has provided more then 4000 ppe kits to the government at divisional, district, hospital and phc levels including some of the prime medical institutes of the valley like SKIMS JVC etc so that they can be used by health care workers in these testing.

Its worthwhile to mention that all these ppe kits have be donated to government free of cost.

The organisation has also been providing free food kits to the needy people in these testing times. So far some 2500 plus food kits have been distributed and more is being done. We have also distributed 10000 plus masks to the general public for there safety. The organisation has also voluntarily handed over its major assets across the valley to the government so that the same can be used as quarantine facilities by the government. In some of the places people have been kept for quarantine for example Ayatollah Yousuf Memorial Education Institute Shiganpora Sumbal Sonawari Distt Bandipora.