Jammu and Kashmir: Jawan forced to walk in waist-deep snow with mother's body

Srinagar: Muhammad Abbas, an Army jawan from a remote village of Karnah tehsil in Kashmir’s frontier district of Kupwara, on Thursday morning began a sad and arduous journey of his life.

Carrying the body of his 60-year-old mother Sakeena Begum on his shoulders, Abbas began trekking through the waist-deep snow from Chowkibal to his native village close to the Line of Control (LoC) where he plans to give her a decent burial.

Accompanying by a few relatives, he was expecting to reach the destination by late evening “if, God forbid, nothing untoward happens en route”.

The entire 52-km Chowkibal-Karnah road which passes through elevations of about 3,200 metres is avalanche- prone and an official warning against venturing out in the area stands valid for next 24 hours.

‘Promised’ helicopter never arrived
Army jawan Muhammad Abbas, 25, decided to embark on the dangerous journey after authorities allegedly failed to arrange a helicopter to enable them to relocate to their native village with his mother’s body. Abbas’s mother died last week of cardiac arrest at the Pathankote base in neighbouring Punjab.

After returning to Kashmir, the body was kept at the barrack in Kupwara for four nights with Abbas hoping for a possible trip by road. But heavy snowfall thwarted plans. Abbas said that he was promised a helicopter would be arranged to take him home to his village in Karnah. “But they kept us waiting and we were left with no option but to walk,” he said before leaving.