HM commander at ultra’s funeral, rejects al-Qaeda’s role in J&K

: Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Riyaz Naikoo on Sunday appeared in the funeral of one of the two HM militants killed in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district and rejected the involvement of the al-Qaeda in Kashmir.

Thousands attended the funeral of Shariq Ahmad Sheikh who, along with Shabir Ahmad Mir, was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Tahab area of Pulwama on Sunday. While Sheikh was a resident of Takuna, Pulwama, Mir belonged to neighbouring Anantnag district.

An army official said the two were asked to surrender after a cordon and search operation was launched but they refused to do so and opened heavy fire. “They tried to escape the cordon while firing but were killed in retaliation. An INSAS and an SLR rifle were recovered from them,” the official said. Many people were injured after police used force and fired tear-gas shells to disperse protesters in Tahab and other areas of Pulwama district.

In Takuna, Sheikh’s funeral drew attention of HM commander Riyaz Naikoo who sought to distance away the militant movement in Kashmir from al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Newspaper Greater Kashmir on its website published a photograph of Naikoo addressing the people and cautioning them as “efforts are being made to defame the Kashmir freedom struggle”. “Pakistan flag is our flag. Linking our struggle with al-Qaeda and ISIS is a ploy to defame it,” the daily quoted Naikoo saying.