E-Paper
Hizbul leader requests Pandits to return, promises protection
SRINAGAR: A top Hizbul Mujahideen leader has requested Kashmiri Pandits to return to the Valley and promised them protection, a landmark statement, 26 years after
SRINAGAR: A top Hizbul Mujahideen leader has requested Kashmiri Pandits to return to the Valley and promised them protection, a landmark statement, 26 years after the Hindu community fled their homes in fear of growing militancy.
Zakir Rashid Bhat, 22, recorded a video message that was widely reported on Kashmiri media on Tuesday. He is in the running to replace former Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, whose killing in July by security forces triggered a months-long spiral of violence across Kashmir.
“We request Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes. We take the responsibility of their protection,” Bhat, wearing camouflage uniform and holding a grenade in his hand, is heard as saying in the video. HT couldn’t independently confirm the veracity of the tape.
“They should look at those Pandits who have been living in the Valley. Did they face any problems here?”
Kashmiri Pandits are often considered one of the worst affected by the militancy that broke out in Kashmir in 1989, with 100,000 people forced out of the Valley over security concerns. In recent years, the government has made attempts to resettle Pandits in closed townships but the idea has been strongly opposed by militants.
Bhat, a former engineering student, is apparently ahead of other possible successors to Wani after his first video in August, where he asked the people of Kashmir to continue the protests till the region achieves “azadi (freedom)”.
The militant leader claimed he was approached by Sikhs to join the outfit and announced plans to float a Sikh regiment.
“More than 12,000 Sikhs were killed in Punjab during operation Blue Star by General KS Gill in collaboration with RAW. Our Sikh brothers want to take revenge from India. We are receiving many requests from Sikh brothers that they want to join us, we are always with them. We will try to form a group of Sikh brothers,” Bhat said.
