Zakir Musa who was killed in a gunfight last night in Tral area of south Kashmir’s

Thousands attend funeral of top militant commander Zakir Musa in South Kashmir’s Tral
Body of Zakir Musa who was killed in a gunfight last night in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district was handed over to his family for last rites this morning.
A police officer said that Musa turned down offer to surrender and fired UBGL grenades and opened fire on the armed forces.

Braving rains, thousands attend funeral prayers of slain militant commander Zakir Musa

Braving rains, thousands attend funeral prayers of slain militant commander Zakir Musa

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Clashes Erupt In Sopore After Friday Prayers, One Injured; Shifted To SMHS

Sopore, May 24 : Massive clashes erupted in old town area of Sopore near Jamia Masjid after Friday prayers. The clashes erupted after locals staged protest over the killing of militant commander Zakir Musa.

An eyewitness told KNO that the youth in large number staged protest in the area however the police party deployed in the area tried to chase away the protesting youth, triggering clashes in the area.

During the clashes, the youth fought pitched battles with the government forces. In the clashes the forces resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse the protesters. “ A tear gas shell was lobbed in front of a youth who tried to throw it back towards but the shell got burst in his hand leaving him injured,” an eyewitness told KNO.

The injured was rushed to sub district hospital for treatment. “He was given some first aid here and was shifted to SMHS for specialised treatment. He has got severe injuries in his hand and face as well,” BMO Sopore told KNO.

The injured was identified as Airfan Ahmad. Clashes were going on in the area when the report was being filed. There are reports of pellet injuries in the clashes as well

Who was Zakir Musa?

 Born in an affluent family of Noorpora village in volatile Tral region of south Kashmir's Pulwama district, Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Musa, succeeded Burhan Muzzafar Wani as the divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir soon after he was killed in an encounter on July 8, 2016.

Zakir, who was in his mid-twenties, joined militant ranks after quitting engineering studies at a Chandigarh college in 2013. He joined the Burhan Wani's core group of militants based in Tral. Zakir grew very close to his predecessor and hit headlines first time in 2015 after his picture along with another militant Lateef Tiger went viral on social media. The picture, in which Zakir and Lateef were in casuals, was clicked somewhere in Srinagar, sending the security establishment into the tizzy that time.

Days after Burhan Wani's killing, Musa issued a maiden video statement, calling on people to continue the agitation and described Kashmir's movement as the movement for Islam. In several other videos, he was seen giving arms training to the new recruits inside a residential house at an undisclosed location.

However, Zakir Musa shot to prominence in May 2017 after he termed the Kashmir movement as a struggle for the establishment of Islam and not for nationalism or secularism. He threatened to behead Hurriyat leaders and hang their heads in Lal Chowk "if they come out in his way of establishing Shariah".

The threat did not go well with Hizbul Mujahideen leadership based in Pakistan who termed his remakes as well as Musa's call for Islamic struggle as his personal views. Musa was quick to hit back and announced his exit from the Hizb.

Days later, he formed his own outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, which is believed to be linked to Al Qaida in the Indian subcontinent, and reiterated his pan-Islamist stand. Musa entered into a bitter war of words with the militant leadership based in Pakistan over his Islamist stand.

Around a dozen members of Hizb and LeT defected to Musa's group and announced their support to his cause. Notable among them was Abu Dujana, the successor of top Lashkar commander Abu Qasim, who was killed in 2015 and Abu Hamas, a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen. Both the commanders were residents of Pakistan and their support to Musa gave his organization a big boost.

The first major blow to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind came when Abu Dujana and his aide Arif Lelhari died in a gunfight at Hakripora in Kakapora area of Pulwama district. After several weeks, four of his aides were killed in a brief encounter in Tral. Till this date, more than a dozen members of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind have died including it's deputy chief Rehan Khan. Before the formation of the group, four aides of Zakir were killed in an encounter in Kakapora.

After quitting Hizb, Zakir remained elusive but his group released many of his audio messages wherein he targeted both India and Pakistan. He was critical of Pakistani establishment as well as leaders of UJC over their handling of armed struggle in Kashmir. Zakir did not regard Pakistan as an Islamic State and condemned it's rulers and army as apostates for allying with U.S against Al Qaeda and Taliban.

While Zakir Musa was severely criticized by the UJC and joint resistance leadership or the JRL, he became highly popular among youths in Kashmir with his slogans being raised even in the protests on civic issues.

He featured in top 12 "most wanted” militant list of the army and managed to dodge forces on several occasions in 6 years. While his group couldn't carry out any major attack in Kashmir, it, however, was involved in a few attacks in Punjab.

With the killing of Zakir, who is the top-most militant commander to die since 2017, the cadre strength of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind has now reduced to three, according to top security sources. 

Restrictions imposed in Srinagar over separatist march

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Srinagar, May 21:  Authorities have imposed restrictions in Srinagar on Tuesday to prevent a separatist-called commemoration march.

The Hurriyat Conference has called for the march to the Martyrs Graveyard in the Old City’s Eidgah area to pay homage to two senior separatist leaders, Mirwaiz Moulana Moulvi Muhammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone, who were killed by unidentified assailants on this day in 1990 and 2002.

Mirwaiz Moulana Moulvi Muhammad Farooq, the father of Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was killed in his residence in the outskirts of the city on May 21, 1990. While, Abdul Gani Lone, father of Sajad Lone and Bilal Lone, was killed in the Martyrs Graveyard on May 21, 2002.

PAYING HOMAGE TO MIRWAIZ MOULANA MOULVI MUHAMMAD FAROOQ SAHAB & ABDUL GANI LONE SAHAB ON THEIR DEATH ANNIVERSARY

I would like to pay my respect to Mirwaiz Moulana Moulvi Muhammad Farooq Sahab & Abdul Gani Lone Sahab on their death anniversary.

While Mirwaiz Sahab was a leading light of Kashmir's Sufi Islamic spiritual heritage, Lone Sahab was an important Kashmiri political leader of post Sheikh Abdullah era, who had very strong political views and ideology, for which he even laid down his life.

The murder of both Mirwaiz Sahab & Lone Sahab by "unidentified assailants" was a great loss to Kashmir and consciousnesses of Kashmiri people.They were murdered during the time, when the dance of death and destruction was at it's peak in Kashmir valley. Their murder shook the people of Kashmir and added another dark chapter in Kashmir's last three decade old plunge into never ending cycle of death and destruction.

While, there are several questions that remain unanswered relating to their murder, but one thing is clear that no individual should be killed for their political belief or views. Violence from all sides has already rendered Kashmir as a sick and barren land and if anything, both Kashmir and the people of Kashmir deserve PEACE. This was also the mission of both Mirwaiz Sahab and Lone Sahab, both of whom eventually laid down their lives in pursuing that endeavor. The real homage to their memory would be that, if the PEACE RETURNS BACK TO KASHMIR.