Death threat to Hurriyat leaders

Srinagar: Kashmiri militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has allegedly threatened to chop the hands of key separatist leaders, behead  and “hang them” in Lal Chowk, Srinagar’s historic central square, for interfering in the militant group’s matters.

Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, who are part of an issue-based alliance, named by them as “Joint Resistance Leadership”, had earlier this week said that the ongoing “freedom movement” in Kashmir had nothing to do with ISIS and Al Qaeda-like organizations. They also said that there is no role for these groups in “our movement” which was “indigenous” and seeks freedom for 15 million people of the state and that the same is not driven by religion.

Taking exception to the statement, in a short audio which has since gone viral on social media, purported top Hizb commander Zakir Moosa has asked the separatist leaders not to interfere in militants’ affairs but remain within their “dirty” politics. Moosa, who was a close aide of Hizb’s slain commander Burhan Wani and was named as his successor, says, “Some days back the joint resistance leaders issued a statement saying Kashmir struggle is political and that it has nothing to do with religion.”

“I am warning all those hypocrite Hurriyat leaders. They must not interfere in our Islamic struggle. If they do, we will cut their heads and hang them in Lal Chowk,” he said.

Urging the people of Kashmir to unite against the Hurriyat’s hypocrisy, Moosa said, “We just want to ask these political hypocrites if Kashmir is a political issue why are you then chanting slogans like “Aazadi ka matlab kiya?, La ilaha illallah (Freedom stands for what, there is no deity but Allah)” and “Pakistan sey rishta kya; La ilaha illallah (What is the relation with Pakistan, there is no deity but Allah),” he adds.

The Hizb commander also asks them, “Why do you come and address people in mosques?” No independent source has confirmed whether the voice which can be heard in the audio clip is actually that of Moosa.

The separatist leaders had in their statement accused New Delhi of starting to play a “vicious game under the garb and label of holy war”.

“It is a ploy to create a wedge between people and brave hearts. Agencies are hiring some sick-minded and Ikhwan-type goons and they have been assigned the task for creating chaos in state,” he said, adding, “The ongoing freedom struggle is indigenous... terrorism and freedom movement are poles apart” and cautioned the people of “sustained onslaught” that was underway.

“After miserably and humiliatingly failing to curb and contain the people’s movement by all the military might, Indian government is frustrated to the extent that it has framed new tactics to change the discourse of ongoing freedom struggle. They are trying their hard to create chaos, confusion and malign the ongoing movement,” they had alleged.

Contrary to the threat issued by Moosa, the Hizb ‘Commander-in-Chief’ and Pakistan-based United Jihad Council (UJC), Syed Salahuddin, has while endorsing the separatist leaders said that there was “no role of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban in the freedom struggle of Kashmir”. UJC spokesman Syed Sadaqat Hussain has, in an e-mailed statement issued to local news agency KNS, quoted him as saying, “The ongoing freedom struggle aimed at throwing the Indian forces out of Kashmir has been started by the people themselves. There is no role of any other force including Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban...there is also no need to involve them in this freedom struggle.”

He alleged that India is trying to create an ISIS like group “to defame the mujahedin groups which are fighting against it.” Salahuddin added “The ISIS has been created by the European imperials to defame Islam and to break the mujahedin groups.” The UJC chief has “directed” the militants on the ground to “desist from issuing statements and consult the top commanders on policy and freedom matters.”

Meanwhile, posters which mentioned the names and other particulars of three militants under their respective photographs appeared in southern Shopian town on Friday announcing that they were involved in the abduction and subsequent murder of an Army Lieutenant Umar fayyaz Parray. The posters have been issued by the district police. The accused Ishfaq Ahmad Thokar, Gayas-ul-Islam and Abbas Ahmad Bhat are reported to be cadres of the Hizb. The posters in English said that the trio was “believed to be involved” in the murder of young officer and announces rewards for any information on them.

22-year-old Parray of 2 Rajputana Rifles was on leave when abducted by two masked gunmen from the wedding of his (maternal) cousin in Batpora village of Kulgam on Tuesday night. His bullet-riddled corpse was found in Harmain area of neighbouring Shopian district on Wednesday morning.

However, Syed Salahuddin, on Friday said that militants were not involved in Parray’s killing. “Our mujahedin are not involved in murder of Lt. Umar Fayyaz. Such a killing is condemnable.” The statement reads, “An officer from a pro-freedom family was murdered by the Indian agencies and mujahedin are being blamed for it only to shield the real face of the Indian agencies.” End it