Our fight is not for Kashmir, it’s for Islam: Hizbul commander in new video | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Our fight is not for Kashmir, it’s for Islam: Hizbul commander in new video

Hindustan Times, Srinagar | ByAshiq Hussain
Mar 16, 2017 01:48 PM IST

In the video which went viral on social media on Wednesday, the 23-year-old Bhat urges youth who throw stones at security forces to “check their intent”.

Top Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Zakir Rashid Bhat has purportedly come out with a new video where he is heard saying the militancy should not aim to create a new nation of Kashmir but for the supremacy of Islam.

Zakir Rashid Bhat, said to be around 22 years, was a student of civil engineering in Chandigarh before he returned to his ancestral village Noorpura in Pulwama in 2013 and joined the Hizbul Mujahideen.(Video Grab)
Zakir Rashid Bhat, said to be around 22 years, was a student of civil engineering in Chandigarh before he returned to his ancestral village Noorpura in Pulwama in 2013 and joined the Hizbul Mujahideen.(Video Grab)

The 11-minute grainy video message was full of Islamic injunctions but surprisingly devoid of words like ‘Azadi’ or ‘Pakistan’.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

In the video which went viral on social media on Wednesday, the 23-year-old Bhat urges youth who throw stones at security forces to “check their intent”.

“I want to tell my stone-pelting brothers that they should check their motives as to why they are fighting when they pick up stones (against Indian forces). I want to tell these brothers that they should not fall for nationalism,” he said.

Read | Burhan Wani’s successor studied engg in Punjab: ‘Tech-savvy, talkative’

Bhat along with another commander Sabzar Ahmad have emerged as the successors to Hizbul commander Burhan Wani whose death last July triggered massive protests in Kashmir valley that claimed at least 90 lives and left thousands injured.

 After leaving engineering to join militancy in 2013, Bhat came out with his first video message in August 2016 asking the people of Kashmir to continue the agitation till the region achieves its goal of “azadi”.

In the latest video, Bhat said that he has observed that most of the people in Kashmir were involved in a nationalistic fight which was ‘haraam (not permissible)’ in Islam. “Nationalism and democracy are not permissible in Islam,” said Bhat.

The militancy in Kashmir started after the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front took to arms with slogans like ‘Is paar bhi lenge, Azadi; Us paar bhi lenge, Azadi’ (We will achieve freedom on this side of border as well as on the other side of border). However the group was soon outflanked by many pro-Islamic and pro-Pakistan groups like HM, Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen and Al-Jihad.

“When we pick up stones or guns it should not be with this intention that we are fighting for Kashmir (as a nation). The sole motive should be for the supremacy of Islam so that Shariah is established here,” Bhat said whose HM is the only surviving indigenous group of Kashmir.

In an indirect dig at separatists leaders, Bhat said people had put their trust on the UN (United Nations) and United States. “We should surrender before Allah and see how help arrives. But we have expectations from UN and USA,” he said.

Among the separatist leaders, hardliner Syed Ali Geelani and women group leader Asiya Andrabi have been openly Islamic and pro-Pakistan. Shabir Shah has been maintaining that people should be the sole judge to decide their fate. While JKLF Chief Yasin Malik has been a supporter of Kashmiri nationalism.

The militant commander also targeted local police and informers for their “anti Islamic acts of joining the evil”. “I am advising them to come back. You have joined them so you are same for us; whether police or army,” Bhat said.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, CAA Live Updates along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On