Zakir Rashid Bhat (also known as Zakir Musa) was an

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Pan-Islamist Pan-Islamism ( ar, الوحدة الإسلامية) is a political movement advocating the unity of Muslims under one Islamic country or state – often a caliphate – or an international organization with Islamic principles. Pan-Islamism was ...

, Kashmiri-separatist militant who became the commander of

Hizbul Mujahideen Hizbul Mujahideen, also spelled Hizb-ul-Mujahideen ( ar, حزب المجاھدین, ), is an Islamism, Islamist militant organization operating in the Kashmir region. Its goal is to separate Kashmir Valley, Kashmir from India and merge it with ...

after the killing of

Burhan Wani Burhan Wani (19 September 1994 – 8 July 2016) was a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist militant organization and insurgent group of the Kashmir conflict. He had become a popular figure amongst the local Kashmiri populace, having do ...

and

Sabzar Bhat Sabzar Ahmed Bhat was a kashmiri militant, who is the area commander of the militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen. He was killed in an encounter by the police on 26 May 2017 at Saimoh Tral Early life Bhat's home village is reported to have ...

, who were the former commanders of the same outfit. He later became the chief of

Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind ( ur, ) is an Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist militant group active in Kashmir. The group's stated objective is to impose Sharia law in Jammu and Kashmir and jihad against India. Background Zakir Rashid Bhat was an Islami ...

. In 2017, Zakir Musa left from

and formed Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind in the

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

region. He was a close aide of

and

. Musa was one of the most wanted militant in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

, India with a bounty of 1 million Indian rupees on his head announced by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

in 2017. In November 2018,

Indian Security Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by th ...

claimed that Musa appeared in Punjab. Then in December of the same year, the security forces claimed that Musa appeared in Punjab once again.

Early life

Zakir Rashid Bhat was born in Noorpora area of

Tral Tral is a town, sub-district and a notified area committee in the Pulwama district of Indian-administered Kashmir. The town is situated at a distance of from summer capital, Srinagar and from district headquarters, Pulwama. Tral is the secon ...

in the

Pulwama district The Pulwama district is located to the south of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir. Its district headquarters are situated in the city of Pulwama. It is located in the central part of the Kashmir Valley. Administration In 1979 Anantnag d ...

of the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range and ...

, India. His father Abdul Rashid Bhat, a senior engineer working with the state government. Musa studied at Noor Public School up to 10th, and then attended the government higher secondary institution in Noorpora where he passed his 12th in 2011.

Hizbul Mujahideen

Musa joined the

in 2013 after leaving his studies of Bachelor of Technology. He became the commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen after the death of

Burhan Muzaffar Wani Burhan Wani (19 September 1994 – 8 July 2016) was a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist militant organization and insurgent group of the Kashmir conflict. He had become a popular figure amongst the local Kashmiri populace, having do ...

; discontent over Wani's death led to the

2016 Kashmir unrest Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * Sixteen (1943 film), ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 194 ...

. In August 2016, Musa issued his first video in Kashmir. He has been described as "part of a new generation of tech-savvy, well-educated terrorist" who became involved in the conflict after the

2010 Kashmir unrest The 2010 Kashmir unrest was a series of violent protests and riots in the Kashmir Division and Northern Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir, India which started in June 2010 after the Indian Army claimed to have killed three Pakistani infiltra ...

. In 2017, Musa threatened to behead the

Hurriyat All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organizations formed on 9 March 1993, as a united political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri separatism in the Kashmir conflict. Mehmood Ahmed Sagh ...

leaders for calling the Kashmir conflict a political, rather than a religious, objective to establish Islamic rule; he warned them not to become a "thorn" in the imposition of

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

in Kashmir. Hizbul Mujahideen immediately disassociated itself from Musa's statement, and Musa, in response, quit the organization. In 2017, he left the group after it refused to back his public statements supporting his argument that the struggle in Kashmir was for Islam, and not for political purposes.

Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind

In July 2017, the

Global Islamic Media Front The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) is an Islamist propaganda organization that is associated with the terrorist group, al-Qaeda, and other jihadist groups. The GIMF is known by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as an "underground me ...

claimed that Zakir Musa had been named the head of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a newly created

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

. After the killing of terrorist commander Abu Dujana and Arif Lelhari, a statement purported to be from Musa was released. The statement claimed that Dujana and Lelhari had joined

and helped establish it. Officials stated that the voice of the message matched those of the earlier audio clips by Musa, though the state's DGP S.P. Vaid stated there was no way of authenticating the clips even though there were reports that Dujana and Musa were close at the time. Meanwhile, an audio-clip circulated on media that claimed to be the last message from Dujana and Arif during their encounter. Two voices claim allegiance to

; however, no gunfire is heard and the authenticity of the clip was not proven. It was reported on 12 August 2017 that Musa and his aide evaded an Indian Army and JK Police operation when locals pelted security forces with stones in Noorpora village of

. Allegedly according to Indian media In an audio message released on 31 August 2017, Musa attacked

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

for "betraying Kashmir jihad." He also stated that the objective of Al-Qaeda's Kashmir cell was to clear it from the Pakistan government, army and their sponsored agents. He also threatened to "liberate India" from the Hindus. According to Indian media, Hizbul put up posters in

Sopore Sopore, known as Suyyapur in antiquity, is a city in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is north-west of Srinagar, and north-east from the city of Baramulla. Sopore Town has Asia's second largest fruit mandi (wholesale m ...

in September 2017, which held him responsible for helping Indian security forces kill Kashmiris, asking people to chase him to death and also called him an "Indian agent."

Call for return of Kashmiri Pandits

Musa, like his predecessor

, asked the

Kashmiri Pandit The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountainous region ...

s to return to their homeland. He stated during a video released after the killing of Burhan Wani in 2016, "We request Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes. We take the responsibility of their protection."

Death and aftermath

Zakir Musa was killed after an 11-hour long operation. Musa was killed by security forces in an encounter at

Dadasara Dadasara is a village in the Tral sub-district of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India ...

village in

on 24 May 2019. In the aftermath of Zakir Musa's encounter, the government authorities snapped internet services in the entire

region. Curfew was imposed in all the major towns of the valley, including in the main city of

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

, also schools and colleges were ordered to remain shut in some areas. At the time of his death, the ''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

'' described him as "India's most wanted militant". The Indian authorities claim that the zakir musa allegedly attempted to form a new Jihadist faction of

named Tehrik-e-Taliban Kashmir in

region which aims to overthrow of the Indian administration in

in order to establish an

Afghan Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

-style emirate based on

Islamic law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

the authorities said we foiled the plan of musa by killing him in 11-hour long operation.

References