Budgam, Jul 22: Three decades ago, the Qureshi family of Lolipora in Beerwah lost its head when Head Constable Ghulam Mohiuddin Qureshi died while on official duty. On Wednesday, tragedy returned to the same doorstep after terrorists killed his son, Head Constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi, leaving behind another grieving generation.<\/p>\n
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According to the details available with the news agency\u2014Kashmir News Observer (KNO) the 45-year-old policeman, who had joined the Jammu and Kashmir Police under the SRO-43 compassionate appointment scheme after his father\u2019s death, was shot dead in a terror attack near Lal Chowk in South Kashmir\u2019s Anantnag district while performing his duties.<\/p>\n
For the people of Lolipora, Ashiq was not merely a policeman. He was the son who carried forward his father\u2019s legacy, the man who supported his widowed mother, cared for his family and quietly fulfilled every responsibility placed upon his shoulders.<\/p>\n
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As his mortal remains reached the village late Wednesday evening, silence gave way to grief. Women broke down in tears while men struggled to hold back emotions as hundreds lined both sides of the road to receive the coffin draped in the Tricolour.<\/p>\n
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The entire village reverberated with emotional slogans of \u201cAshiq Tere Khoon Se Inquilab Aayega\u201d and \u201cShaheed Ki Jo Maut Hai, Woh Qaum Ki Hayat Hai,\u201d as mourners bid a final farewell to one of their own sons.<\/p>\n
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Thousands of people from Beerwah and adjoining areas attended the funeral prayers with moist eyes, making it one of the largest gatherings the village has witnessed in recent years.<\/p>\n
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Senior police officers, led by DIG Central Kashmir Range Rajiv Omprakash Pandey and SSP Budgam Hariprasad K.K., besides several other officers, reached Lolipora to shoulder the coffin and express solidarity with the bereaved family.<\/p>\n
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According to officials, Ashiq was critically injured after suspected terrorists opened fire on a police party in Anantnag on Wednesday afternoon. He was shifted to Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag, where doctors declared him brought dead.<\/p>\n
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Family members said Ashiq had spoken to them over the phone barely an hour before the attack. None imagined it would be their last conversation.<\/p>\n
His father, Head Constable Ghulam Mohiuddin Qureshi, had lost his life in 1990\u2019s after coming under a landslide in Ramban District while on official duty. Following his father\u2019s death, Ashiq joined the police force under the SRO-43 compassionate appointment policy and continued serving for years with dedication.<\/p>\n
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He is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, his widowed mother, a brother and three married sisters.<\/p>\n
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Remembering him, Zubair Ahmad, a resident of Lolipora, said Ashiq lived with honesty and humility despite wearing the uniform.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe was a brave and noble soul. Everyone in the village respected him because he was honest, kind-hearted and always ready to help others. We have lost not just a policeman but a brother,\u201d Zubair told KNO.<\/p>\n
Another villager, Rafiq Ahmad, said Ashiq\u2019s death has devastated the entire village. \u201cHe was the breadwinner of his family and fulfilled every responsibility with dignity. The government should stand firmly with his family and ensure they receive all possible support. It is impossible to compensate such a loss, but justice should be done to those he left behind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As darkness fell over Lolipora, the echoes of mourning slowly faded, but the grief remained. For the Qureshi family, history has painfully repeated itself\u2014first a father lost in service, and now a son martyred in the line of duty.<\/p>\n