In the valley of death, life comes cheap...

On a sunny Sunday afternoon Asif Gulzar, a class IX student, was busy preparing for the second term exams slated to be held in October when a protest march passed through his village at Chitragam Kalan in Zainapora area of south Kashmir's Shopian district.

Like any teenager Asif by sheer curiosity too became part of it. After walking some distance, Asif and his fellow friends were returning when they allegedly came 'under the fire from the security forces' killing him on the spot.

Son of a poor waza (Kashmiri chef), Asif, 14, became the youngest victim of the current unrest which began after the killing of Hizbul Mujahedeen poster boy Burhan Muzaffar Wani in an encounter at Kokarnag on Friday.

Youngest of three siblings, Asif was a bright student who always excelled in the studies.

"There were no clashes in our village when the incident happened. Asif was a kid and by sheer curiosity he joined the protests and that too for a brief period. He was returning when they (forces) targeted him and hit him in his chest. He died on the spot. He had never been a part of any protests earlier. He had written first term exams and was preparing for second term exams," said Zahoor Ahmad, uncle of Asif.

Dreams of the family have come crashing after Asif's death. An inconsolable mother, a distraught father and devastated siblings, the family of Asif has slipped into a deep shock unable to come to the terms with this tragedy.

"You can well imagine the pain and agony his mother might be going through. She has not recovered from the shock," said Zahoor.

Fifty kilometers away from Zainpora in Tengpora Srinagar, family of Shabir Ahmad Mir is inconsolable. A 25-year-old mason, Mir became the first casualty of the unrest in the summer capital city of Srinagar since the protests began on Friday evening.

Srinagar had so far seen only sporadic protests while as the epicenter of the tensions had been the four districts of south Kashmir. Expect Shabir most of the fatalities were reported from the south Kashmir region. Cries and shrieks rent the air at Mir's household since the tragedy befell on the family. A class VIII dropout, Mir had left studies to help his family which was facing financial crisis.

"He first worked as a labourer. Today he was working as a mason. Just few months back he solemnised the engagement of his sister. He was preparing for her marriage next year," said Nisar Ahmad, cousin of Mir.

Since the financial condition had stabilised after Mir became mason, the family was trying to tie the knot of their son. "His father was looking for a suitable match for his son. Family wanted to solemnise the marriages of son as well as daughter next year. But luck had other things in store and he was killed in most brutal way in his home," said Nisar.

Tough task ahead for Mehbooba in Kashmir

Tough task is ahead for the Mehbooba Mufti government to prevent the rerun of 2010 like situation in the restive Kashmir valley. After surviving the Handwara crisis where a schoolgirl was allegedly molested and five protestors were killed in subsequent security forces firing, Mehbooba-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing a much bigger challenge on her home turf in south Kashmir.

Except one killing in Srinagar, all violence related deaths have taken place in PDP strongholds of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam in south Kashmir. The fresh bout of violence has further hit the credibility of Mehbooba-led PDP that has been struggling to win people's support for its tie-up with the BJP. So jittery is the chief minister that she has withdrawn to a shell to avoid contact with media. Media persons, who were waiting outside secretariat on Sunday, failed to catch her glimpse. Even her close aide and J&K minister for education Naeem Akhtar, who is known for dealing with media, could not handle the pressure and left without taking question after he read the statement.

"We are at the back of our government. We want that collateral damage did not happen. It is unfortunate that the occurrences have happened in south Kashmir. People (who have died) are from south Kashmir. We are trying our best that people do not face any problems and situation is brought under control," Rafi Ahmad Mir, spokesman of PDP, told dna.