Poster threatening KPs emerges in South Kashmir

SRINAGAR: A poster threatening Kashmiri Pandits has surfaced near the transit accommodations for government employees in South Kashmir.

Typed on an unsigned letter head of a little known organisation “Lashkar-e-Islam”, the poster asks all migrants and RSS agents to leave Kashmir or face death.

“No place for Kashmiri Pandits, who want another Israel to kill Kashmiri Muslims,” the poster reads. The poster has gone viral on social media after it was shared on micro-blogging site Twitter by Panun Kashmir leader and film maker Ashok Pandit as “message for all the pseudo liberals, white-collared terrorists & other pimps of terrorists”.

While police confirmed the presence of the poster in the area, Pulwama SP Rayees Mohammad Bhat said, “We got information about the presence of a few posters in the area but we believe it is a work of miscreants who want to create fear among the minority community,” Bhat said.

The police officer said the organisation Lashkar-e-Islam has no presence in South Kashmir. “It is a Sopore-based group and has no presence in

South Kashmir. They have no cadre here (Pulwama),” he added.

Lashkar-e-Islam hit the news after they threatened owners of telecommunication towers in North Kashmir’s Sopore area in May 2015.

The threats were followed by killings as well. The group which was earlier believed to be a front for Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba was, however, denounced by both militant organisations after the killings.

Fearing backlash in the valley, the Kashmir Pandit government employees, who had joined under the PM package a few years ago, have sought transfers to Jammu and other parts of the country.

According to locals, most families have left the transit accommodation.

A few weeks back, police had denied reports that the migrant

camps at Haal Pulwama and Vesu in Anantnag and some places in north Kashmir were attacked by the mobs.

Cases were registered against some social media users for spreading false news of attacks and killings of Kashmir Pandits.

Police sources say the posters against Kashmiri Pandits are part of a series of other posters from lesser known organisations in the area. “Some posters warned people against joining pro-freedom rallies. Some even asked women not to venture out of their homes,” an official said.

A few days ago, a relatively unknown group ‘Sangbaz (stone pelting) association Jammu and Kashmir, Azad Kashmir’ had warned young girls against riding two wheelers “scooties”.

The association said they will burn both the vehicle and female riders if they are seen out on the roads till the end of this fight.