Kashmiri father passes away after waiting for 22 years for his forcibly disappeared sons

On 20th September, 90-year-old Abdul Ahad Rah passed away at his native in Srinagar awaiting a meeting for over 22 years with two of his sons who were arrested by Delhi Police in Nepal, and were never traced afterwards. Both of Ahad’s sons Muhammad Shafi Rah (then 30) and Mushtaq Ahmad Rah (then 25), had left Srinagar in 1995, in search of employment in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. They worked at a tannery in Nepal, where they’d manufacture leather bags and gloves. On September 5, 2000, the Delhi Police conducted raids in Nepal and arrested several Kashmiri businessmen including both of Ahad’s sons. They were accused of taking part in “anti-India” activities. Several among those arrested were released. However, the two brothers still remain untraced even after 22 years. As years passed, Ahad’s health worsened and he developed multiple ailments, essentially borne out of deep anxiety and mental pressure following the disappearance of his two sons. “My wife and I went to every office in order for our children to be traced and we spent all that we possessed,” Ahad had said in one of the interviews. The old parents won’t even bolt their doors at night, in case their ‘lost’ sons arrive someday, one of Ahad’s children said in a recent statement.[12]
[12] https://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/at-90-kashmiri-father-passes-away-awaiting-untraceable-sons-arrested-in-2000/