On December 25, 1991, when south Kashmir's Tral Payeen village was in a grip of massive unrest, unknown militant outfit kidnapped Mohammad Shafi Mecha (26), a medical representative by profession, when he left home in the afternoon. Later, Shafi's family approached separatist leaders to intervene and get him released. Sixteen years have passed and no militant outfit has claimed any responsibility.

¿We immediately met certain militant groups in the village which assured us his safe release, But they never kept their promise,¿ says Shafi's relatives, who moved from pillar to post to trace him. ¿Though militants first confirmed that Shafi was with them, later they changed their statement.¿

Many villagers were witness to Shafi's kidnapping and informed the family about the incident. Though the family refuses Shafi's involvement in militant activities, Tral residents say ¿he had joined militant ranks of the Al-Jehad.¿

After Shafi went missing, the Mecha family sought the help of separatist leaders and met them, both in south Kashmir and Srinagar. ¿They assured us that they would prevail upon militants to release Shafi. It never happened,¿ said a family member.

Later, the family approached police, which ¿refused to lodge any complaint.¿ ¿We knew Shafi was not picked up by police or security forces, but wanted to register a case in the police station. They let us down by not registering the complaint.¿

His mother still believes that Shafi will return, but the rest of the family members have given up hope. ¿Only God knows how much I have suffered in the past sixteen years, and He will deliver justice,¿ said Shafi's father Ghulam Ahmed Mecha, a retired teacher.