It was October 15, 2000, a Sunday. A landmine blast had ripped through the Nihalpora area of Pattan, killing many soldiers the previous day. The angry troops, allege locals, picked up several civilians for interrogation.

Ghulam Mohammad Mir and his cousin Manzoor Ahmad Dar were two of them. A few days later, Manzoor was released, raising hopes of Mir’s return next. Now, more than six years later, his family is still waiting for Mir, or at least his news, good or bad.

With Mir had gone the poor family’s sole earning member. Mir drove a taxi, KMT 1230, for a living.

Recalling the seven-year-old incident, Nihalpora villagers said militants triggered the blast but it was they who had to face the ire of the troops. “They (troops) were looking for the reprisals. Finally, they got a scapegoat in the young taxi driver Ghulam Mohamad Mir,” said Abdul Majid, a village elder.

Relatives and family members alleged that the Army arrested Mir along with his cousin Manzoor Ahmad Dar, who hails from Sumbal, and took them to Vetpora Army camp where they were subjected to severe torture for many days. Even family members were not allowed to meet them.

Manzoor was, however, released after a few days, on October 18. His condition was critical, but the family heaved a sigh of relief, thinking Mir, too, would be released soon. “I asked Manzoor about my son,” said Mir’s father Abdul Khaliq. “But he failed to answer my queries. We went to the Vetpora camp and met officials to enquire about Mir. They told us to come the next day and also assured us of his early release,” says Abdul Khaliq. “I waited for several days. Finally, we lodged a missing report with police,” he added.

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