Death threat to Hurriyat leaders

Hizb warns it will ‘hang them’ at Lal Chowk for interfering in its activities

Top Hizb commander has asked the separatist leaders to remain within their dirty politics

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 issuebased 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.