Hizbul commander threatens to behead ‘infidel’ Hurriyat leaders
DARE In a video clip, the militant warns separatist leaders against calling the Kashmir issue a political struggle instead of a religious war
SRINAGAR:A top Hizbul Mujahideen leader has threatened to behead separatist Hurriyat leaders for calling Kashmir a political struggle instead of a religious war for the creation of an “Islamic state”.
The threat is believed to be the first against the Hurriyat leadership who are acknowledged to represent the political views of a section of Kashmiris and have held talks with the Centre and state governments many times.
The message was delivered through a video clip which contained a montage of slides showing quotes about Islam and Sharia. The person who is heard in the clip is not shown. He did not identify himself but is believed to be local Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa.
Calling Hurriyat leaders “hypocrites, infidels, followers of evil”, the militant warned to chop off their heads “if they create hurdles in the path of making Kashmir an Islamic state”.
The militant also said the heads will be hanged in Lal Chowk in Srinagar, an area known as the nerve centre of anti-India protests. The clip appeared two days after militants suspected to be from the Hizbul Mujahideen abducted and killed an army officer on leave in Shopian.
In a joint statement issued a few days ago, hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and two moderates — Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Mallik — had said the freedom struggle in Kashmir has nothing to do with IS or al Qaeda. They said there was no role for these groups in “Kashmir’s political struggle”. “Terrorism and freedom movement are polls apart,” they said.
The video starts with a quote of a slain militant, Imam Anwar Al Awlaki, an American-born Muslim scholar and cleric who acted as the spokesperson for terrorist outfit al Qaeda.
“We just want to ask these hypocrites if Kashmir is a political issue (then) why are you raising slogans like ‘Azadi ka matlab kya (What is the meaning of freedom). La Illaha Ilallah’, ‘Pakistan say rishta kya (With is the relation with Pakistan). La Illaha Ilallah’,” the militant said, referring to the Hurriyat leaders’ frequent use of the phrase, “There is no one but Allah”.
“Why do you come and address people in mosques?”, the leader said in the clip.
Hindustan Times could not verify the authenticity of the clip. However, police sources said the voice matched Musa’s earlier video and audio clips.
Zakir Musa has been touted as the successor of militant commander Burhan Wani, whose killing last year sparked monthslong streets protests across the Valley. The clip has generated debate in Kashmir, with some calling it a handiwork of “Indian agencies”.
Speaking to HT, the spokesman for the Geelani-led Hurriyat Conference, Ayaz Akbar said, the organisation was “looking into the matter”. “However, we stand by our earlier statement,” he added.