31 July 2004	Saturday	13 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

MUZAFFARABAD, July 30: Kashmiris staged demonstrations and religious leaders vented their anger over the killing of two of their kin by an armed Iraqi group in Baghdad, in their Friday sermons.

AJK's national flag also flew at half mast as the government here declared today a day of mourning. In a statement, AJK premier Sardar Sikandar Hayat also condemned the "gruesome killing" of two innocent people saying the act had weakened the cause of the Iraqi people.

"We share the pain and grief of the bereaved families and pray for the deliverance of the departed souls," the PM said, as he announced Rs 100,000 each for the families of Sajid Naeem, 29, and Raja Azad, 49, both migrant workers from the AJK's southern Poonch district.

The religious leaders came heavily down upon the Pakistan government, blaming it for the situation that ultimately led to the murder of the two men. Maulana Shahabuddin Madni, acting chief of AJK Jamiat Ahle Hadith, said Pakistan had no contribution in the Iraq crisis, hence maintenance of peace in that country was not its responsibility.

In Bangoin village, thousands of people staged a demonstration after Friday prayers in the completely shut bazaar, barely 200 metres away from Raja Azad's residence where there were no let up in the anguish of the bereaved family.