At Lt Fayaz's home, a "speechless" family tries to cope with

When 22-year-old Ummer Fayaz was commissioned in the Army as a Lieutenant five months back, his two proud younger sisters felt there was nothing more that they could have asked for.
But all dreams of a better future now lie shattered after Fayaz was abducted by militants from a relative's place on Tuesday and found shot dead the next morning.
"We sisters used to say that we do not need anyone else as our brother had become an officer and we will achieve many things now. We had felt that he had reached some position," Asmat, younger to Fayaz by a couple of years, said.

Tears in her eyes, she termed her only brother's killing an "irreparable" loss.
"His killing is a huge loss for us. Our parents, sister, uncle, aunty, two cousins and grandparents - all had their eyes set on him as he had become an officer," Asmat told mediapersons, who arrived at the family's home here today.
She wished that no one ever goes through the kind of pain that her family is experiencing.

"Yes, whatever happened to him was wrong and I want that it should not happen to anyone else. If anyone wanted something, they should have informed us. We are not saying anything except that we are speechless," she said.

While Asmat, did manage to muster the strength to give vent to her pain, words indeed seemed to fail the others.
"It's a huge loss to the family," was all a grieving father Fayaz Ahmad could tell a top Army Commander who visited today.
General Officer in Command (GoC) of south Kashmir-based Victor Force, Major General B S Raju, had come for Fayaz's 'chahrum' (the fourth day mourning).
Cramped in a small room in their house, the family broke into sobs remembering their loved one.
District Development Commissioner Kulgam Showkat Aijaz and Senior Superintendent of Police Shridhar Patil, who accompanied Raju, assured them of all support.

The GoC told the parents that their son was a brave martyr and that people, even though silent, were with them.
The Army commander and others prayed for the departed soul and handed over ex-gratia cheques to the family.
Raju said that no matter which group of militants had committed the crime, it would not be spared.
Fayaz was posted with 2 Rajputana Rifles and had taken leave to attend a cousin's wedding.
His first leave home, however turned out to be his last.