JK PANORAMA VOL 4 ISSUE 5 MAY

P News
Who was Zakir Musa?
Zakir Musa succeeded Burhan Wani as
the Amir of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM)
for a while before quitting it to form his
own group, owing to ideological differences.
On May 23 2019, a joint operation by Indian
Army's 42 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and a Special
Operations Group (SOG of JKAP) of the
Jammu and Kashmir Police successfully
eliminated one of the most-dreaded terrorists of
the Valley.
Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind Chief Zakir Musa was
holed up inside the house of a chemist in
Dadsara village of Kashmir's Tral region, when
he died in an encounter with the forces.
The owner of the house where he was hiding
was sent in for negotiation. However, Musa
refused to surrender, reported Defence News.
Zakir Musa has been on the most-wanted list of
the forces for years. Two years ago, he was
almost captured by the Indian Army but
managed to flee as some stone-pelters gave him
cover.
Who is Zakir Musa?
Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Zakir Musa hailed from
a humble background, 28-year-old belonged to
an educated, middle-class family in Noorpora;
his father is a senior engineer with the state
government, and one of his brothers is a doctor
in Tral.
Musa himself was a civil engineering student
from a Chandigarh College. He was recruited to
Hizbul Mujahideen in 2013 during one of the
recruitment drives by then-Chief Burhan Wani.
It happened while he was on a visit to his village
for a vacation. The two remained close
associates until 2016 when Indian security
forces gunned down Wani.
Musa succeeded Wani as the Emir of the
militant outfit for a while before quitting it to
form his own group, owing to ideological
differences. The rift started developing with
him repudiating a merger with Pakistan as the
objective of his “jihad”.
He openly announced his ambition to establish
an Islamic Caliphate in Kashmir. He even
issued death-threats to Hurriyat leaders for
calling the Kashmiri struggle political and not
Islamic. At this point, Hizb refused to back his
statement, leading him to break away from its
ranks.
He soon came to symbolize a new generation of
Islamist Jihadi operating in Kashmir. They
were far more radical, violent, and actively
using social media to profess their belief
system. They were also typically slightly more
educated than the militants of the past.
Musa was also held in high regard in the
Islamist militant circuit because of his
association with the al-Qaeda. Since the time he
launched the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, several
youths in the Valley were seen brandishing al-
Qaeda and ISIS flags.
Last year, his group released a video where
Musa could be seen exhorting Indian Muslims
to attack Indian Army personnel and employees
of companies looking at investing in India.
They also published material that urged the
Muslim youth to carry out lone wolf attacks
across India.
Paying tributes to Zakir Moosa, All Parties
Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali
Geelani said that whosoever strives for
implementation of divine law in His land, with
his conviction and dedication are the real heros
of the movement and nation is indebted to hail
their precious sacrifices.
18
May 2019