Hizbul puts out new Wani-like posters

SRINAGAR: Kashmir may be headed for a spurt in militancy with the banned organisation Hizbul Mujahideen putting up posters announcing its resurrection after the death of its commander Burhan Wani sparked waves of violence in the Valley.

The posters carry a photo of 11 militants dressed in combat gear and holding AK-47S in an orchard.

The poster was uploaded on the website of local daily Kashmir Reader, announcing the militants “would continue to challenge the enemy”.

Experts pointed out that the poster was similar to a photograph through which Wani and 10 associates announced their entry into armed insurgency

That photograph had gone viral, signalling the arrival of a new age of militancy fronted by well-educated youth who were social-media savvy and not afraid to be identified. It also broke away from earlier practices of Kashmiri militants wearing masks.

But police said the armed men in the recent poster looked sombre, unlike Wani, whose youthful looks and words attracted many to armed insurgency in the Valley. Most of the men in the earlier photo have died.

“The Burhan picture was full of life, the boys appeared stylish and suave. More than anything, they looked happy and convinced about what they were doing. This poster lacks that,’’ said a police source.

Wani’s killing triggered a twoweek-long spiral of violence in the Valley that left 47 people dead NEW DELHI: Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Saturday that he agreed with former Union home minister P Chidambaram’s views that the Centre had broken promises on issues that formed the state’s accession to India, saying it had been “dishonest with the people of Jammu & Kashmir”.

“J&K acceded to India on the basis of certain conditions which is that the Union of India will be responsible for currency, communication, defence and foreign affairs everything else will be the domain of the state.

On the basis of those conditions J&K would remain a part of India. J&K to this date remains a part of India, how much of those conditions have you actually fulfilled. You have gradually whittled that away to the point that autonomy is a fig leaf to what it was in 1947. So he is not wrong,” Omar told Karan Thapar on India Today TV

However, he regretted that soon after Chidambaram’s remarks, the Congress issued a statement that it was the exminister’s personal views.

“Here is a person who is talking out of box and is ready to take the first knock and we pull him down.”

Replying to a question if an initiative by Narendra Modi could normalise situation in the Valley, Abdullah said any initiative by the PM to resolve the current crisis in the Valley